A case of liver failure due to Wilson’s disease who had psychiatric symptoms of “Hikikomori”, i.e., social withdrawal

Abstract

A 20-year-old man consulted a local doctor due to edema and dyspnea. He was referred to our hospital because he had jaundice and pleural effusion. He had psychiatric symptoms of “Hikikomori”, i.e., social withdrawal, and had stayed indoors for 3 years. He was diagnosed with liver failure due to Wilson’s disease by blood test, urine cupper, and Kayser-Fleischer ring. Conservative treatments were not effective enough, and he was rescued by liver transplantation. Wilson’s disease is known to cause various neuropsychiatric symptoms, and his “Hikikomori” symptoms may be caused by Wilson’s disease. We report a case of liver failure due to Wilson’s disease who had symptoms of social withdrawal.