Swallowing dysfunction in Wilson's disease: a scintigraphic study

Although dysphagia is a common complaint of patients with Wilson's disease (WD) and pneumonia is an important cause of death in these patients, swallowing function remains an underinvestigated field in this condition. The aim of this study was to characterize swallowing dynamics in WD patients. Eight WD patients and 15 age-matched controls underwent scintigraphic evaluation of oral and pharyngeal deglutition. Patients had significantly slower oral transit (P = 0.008) and a greater percentage of oral residue (P = 0.006) when compared to controls. Two of eight patients were free of neurological symptoms at time of examination. Impaired oropharyngeal function was found in patients without dysphagia and without neurological symptoms. Our findings indicate that WD may present with objective swallowing dysfunction, even in the absence of neurological manifestations. Further studies are necessary to investigate the impact of this dysfunction on morbidity and mortality in WD.