Wilson's Disease and Receiving Social Security Disability
Wilsons disease or hepatolenticular degeneration is a genetic disorder that prevents your body from getting rid of extra copper. It causes too much copper to accumulate in your brain, liver, eyes and other vital organs.
Small amounts of copper obtained from the food you eat are needed for good health. Copper plays a key role in the development of your bones, collagen, healthy nerves and the skin pigment melanin, but too much copper is poisonous. Over time, high copper levels can cause life-threatening organ damage.
Normally, copper is absorbed from your food. Any excess is then excreted through bile. Bile is a digestive fluid that is produced in your liver. For people with Wilsons disease, copper is not eliminated properly. Instead, it accumulates to what can be a life-threatening level.
Wilsons disease is a rare disorder that affects about one in 40,000 people. The disease can show up in a variety of ways, but it can also be silent for years. The signs and symptoms usually begin between the ages of 6 and 20, but they can begin as late as age 40.
The effects caused by Wilsons disease depend on where the copper buildup is in your body. When copper builds up in your liver, you may have signs and symptoms of chronic liver disease like:
Fluid buildup in your abdomen or legs
A tendency to bruise easily
Fatigue
Swelling of your spleen or liver
Jaundice or yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes.
When copper builds up in your central nervous system, you may experience neurological effects including:
Stiffness in your muscles
Uncontrolled movements or tremors
Behavioral changes
Problems with swallowing, speech or physical coordination.
Other effects of Wilsons disease are:
Slower blood clotting
Premature arthritis and osteoporosis
Anemia
Low white blood cell count or low platelet
High levels of protein, carbohydrates, amino acids and uric acid in your urine.
Wilsons disease and/or conditions along with or resulting from it may be why you or a loved one is unable to work. This condition may be the cause of you or your loved ones disability.
If this is the case, you or your loved one may need help. You may need financial assistance.
Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by Wilsons disease and/or conditions related to or resulting from this disorder? Were you or your loved one denied?
If you or your loved one plans to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, here is something important that you need to consider. People who are represented by a disability attorney like the one you will find at Disability Case Review are approved more often than those people who are not represented by a lawyer.
