Misdiagnosis of Wilson's disease in a patient with psychiatric symptoms

• Main Authors: Doval Nimisha, Batra Dhruv, Moun Vikas, Jha K Sneh, Shukla Rakesh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2016-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
• Subjects: Misdiagnosis; psychiatric illness; Wilson's disease
• Online Access: http://www.ijpm.info/article.asp?issn=0253-7176;year=2016;volume=38;issue=4;spage=353;epage=356;aulast=Nimisha

Therapeutic outcome of Wilson's disease significantly depends upon its early recognition. As Wilson's disease is a rare disorder with protean manifestations, its diagnosis and subsequent treatment are often delayed. We elaborate here the case of a young boy who had initially presented with psychiatrc symptoms suggestive of dissociative fugue followed by withdrawn behaviour and was treated by a psychiatrist with minimal response. This was associated with symptoms of tremors, hypersalivation, and slowness of movements. This case highlights the delay in diagnosing Wilson's disease when faced with the case of a young adult with psychiatric manifestations. It is extremely important for physicians, psychiatrists and health professionals at primary care level to recognize and diagnose this treatable disease at an early stage.