Guest guest Posted March 2, 2002 Report Share Posted March 2, 2002 when I first had symptoms of parkinsonism, I was checked out for 's disease. I have low caeruloplasmin, which is a protein containing copper. . . Anyway, it was not ruled out until I had the liver biopsy. I was actually hoping it was 's because it is treatable with zinc supplements. It can be very dangerous, sometimes presenting with liver failure from the accumulation of copper. Or, it presents with neurological problems from the accumulation of copper in the brain, usually presenting at the age of 20-30 years old, but, forty and fifty year-olds happen. 's occurs 1:30,000 so, it is rare. It is genetic, and the gene has been localized, and defined. I think the rate of occurrence of the heterozygote is 1:90. I saw a paper that speculated that some forms of parkinsonism were associated with being a 's heterozygote. I still wonder about that. . . and the only way to tell would be an individual genetic analysis. I am now being checked out for MSA. I hope of things work out for your dad. Ray -- --------on the edge of the prairie abyss--------- Ray Strand 50/dx PD 47/40? onset/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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