Wilson’s Disease with Hepatogenous Diabetes: A Case Report

Wilson’s disease (WD) is a hereditary autosomal recessive disorder caused by pathogenic variants within the ATP7B gene. Early diagnosis of WD is important but it can be difficult in pediatric clinical practice because of varied presentations. Fortunately, with the development of genetic testing, molecular analysis of the ATP7B gene is helpful in the early diagnosis of WD. Hepatogenous diabetes (HD) is defined as a state of impaired glucose regulation caused by chronic liver disease. Here we report a child with WD with HD.

A 4-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital with diarrhea for two months. On admission, urine glucose was 4+, fasting glucose was 2.6 mmol/L, and postprandial blood glucose was 7.2 mmol/L. Further clinical manifestations and laboratory tests showed coagulation dysfunction, hemolytic anemia, and cirrhosis. After admission, she developed hepatic encephalopathy. Significant abnormal glucose metabolism was later detected, but by then, hypoglycemic convulsions had taken place. The final diagnosis of WD was confirmed by detection of mutations in the ATP7B gene. Genetic sequencing revealed compound heterozygous mutations in ATP7B, including c.2975C>T, p.Pro992Leu and c.3809A>G, p.Asn1270Ser. On day 40 of admission, the patient underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation. Her liver function, blood glucose levels, and coagulation test results returned to normal one month after the liver transplantation. The symptom of diarrhea was also relieved after surgery. Her abnormal glucose level in hospital was considered to be HD.

Blood glucose levels must be carefully monitored in Wilson’s disease. Moreover, genetic sequencing provides an accurate and minimally invasive diagnostic tool for WD.