A Case of Wilson's Disease Preceded by Schizophrenia-like Symptoms with Frontal-dominant Leukoencephalopathy

Intern Med. 2024 Dec 12. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.4353-24. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

We herein report a 26-year-old man diagnosed with Wilson's disease (WD), initially treated for schizophrenia for 11 years. At 26 years old, he was admitted because of status epilepticus. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed frontal-dominant leukoencephalopathy with cystic changes and basal ganglia atrophy. The diagnosis of WD was confirmed based on neuropsychiatric symptoms, Kayser-Fleischer rings, abnormal copper metabolism, and a genetic analysis of ATP7B. Psychotic symptoms in WD can precede neurological manifestations, and extrapyramidal signs may be mistaken for drug-induced Parkinsonism. WD should be considered in patients presenting with progressive Parkinsonism preceded by schizophrenia-like psychiatric symptoms.

Keywords: ATP7B; Wilson's disease; brain MRI; leukoencephalopathy; schizophrenia.