Question

The Wilson's disease is a rare inherited disorder due to accumulation in brain, liver and other vital organs of:

• A. Iodine
• B. Copper
• C. Iron
• D. Calcium

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The correct option is (B): Copper.

Answer 2

The question is about the metal that builds up in the brain, liver, and other organs in Wilson's disease. Let's assess each option based on its normal physiological role and whether a defect in handling it can produce this disease.

1. Iodine: Iodine is taken up almost exclusively by the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormones. A defect in iodine handling produces thyroid disorders such as goitre, not a multi-organ accumulation disease affecting the liver and brain.
2. Copper: Copper is normally absorbed from the diet, carried to the liver, and exported into bile by a copper-transporting pump encoded by the ATP7B gene. A mutation in this gene stops copper from being pumped out of liver cells, so the metal builds up in the liver first and then spills over into the brain, cornea, and kidneys, which is exactly the organ pattern seen in Wilson's disease.
3. Iron: Excess iron accumulation is instead the hallmark of a different genetic disorder, hemochromatosis, where iron overload mainly damages the liver, heart, and pancreas rather than the brain in the way Wilson's disease does.
4. Calcium: Calcium is tightly controlled by parathyroid hormone and vitamin D for bone and muscle function, and there is no inherited transporter defect linking calcium to this kind of organ-specific toxic buildup.

Only a defect in the copper-exporting pump explains the liver-to-brain accumulation pattern described in the question.

The correct answer is Copper.