Kayser-Fleischer ring
| Kayser-Fleischer ring Classification and external resources | |
 | |
|---|---|
| A Kayser-Fleischer ring in a 32-year-old patient who had longstanding speech difficulties and tremor. | |
| ICD-10 | H18.0 |
| ICD-9 | 371.14 |
| DiseasesDB | 30056 |
Kayser-Fleischer rings are dark rings that appear to encircle the iris of the eye.
Appearance
The rings, which consist of copper deposits[1][2] where the cornea meets the sclera, in Descemet's membrane, first appear as a crescent at the top of the cornea. Eventually, a second crescent forms below, at 6 o'clock, and ultimately completely encircles the cornea.
In later stages, the brownish rings can be seen with the naked eye. In earlier stages, a slit lamp examination by an optometrist or or ophthalmologist, perhaps assisted by gonioscopy, reveals the golden brown or greenish-yellow crescents.
Associations
Kayser-Fleischer rings are a sign of Wilson's disease, which involves abnormal copper handling by the liver resulting in copper accumulation in the body and is characterised by cerebral degenerative changes, liver cirrhosis, splenomegaly, involuntary movements, muscle rigidity, psychic disturbances, dystonia and dysphagia.
Kayser-Fleischer rings also appear in cases of chronic copper poisoning, as sometimes happens when children are fed milk warmed in copper or brass pots or when drinking water contains high levels of dissolved copper.
Chronic copper poisoning causes symptoms similar to Wilson's disease, including anemia and liver and kidney damage.
Symptoms of acute copper toxicity include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and can result in anemia, severe liver damage and death.
Footnotes
- -1684406263 at GPnotebook
- McDonnell G, Esmonde T (1999). "A homesick student". Postgrad Med J 75 (884): 375-8. PMID 10435182.
References
synd/1758 at Who Named It
External links
- Image at chemgapedia.de
- Image (profile) at Digital reference on Ophthalmology, Columbia University (New York City)
- Images at Wilson's Disease Association International
- Bigger image here
