[Hepatocerebral degeneration]

Hepatocerebral degeneration is a hereditary copper metabolic disorder caused by yet unknown pathological process in the 13th chromosome. The disease is more frequent than is usually believed and has systemic characteristics, although the central nervous system and liver are most often affected. The authors describe 35 patients with neurological form of the disease (mean age 29.3 +/- 1.9 years; mean duration of the disease 3.8 +/- 1.7 years). The most frequent symptoms of these patients are dysarthria (88.6%), tremor (85.7%) and rigidity (80%), while elevated liver copper concentration (97.1%) presents the most frequent biochemical disorder of the copper metabolism. Contrary to common opinion about the pathognomy of Kayser-Fleischer ring, its existence is confirmed in only 60% of the patients. On the basis of the author's own results, along with the reference to already described data from literature, the authors give a survey of current knowledge about hepatocerebral degeneration.