02/27/2026
Although rare, Dr. David Peretz, Hepatologist and Gastroenterologist at HSC and Director of the Manitoba Liver Transplant program has a personal connection with Wilson disease and credits his history with it to making him a better doctor.
“A family member in the United States unfortunately passed away from Wilson disease while waiting for a liver transplant,” shared Dr. Peretz. “It still haunts me a little bit today. To diagnose Wilson disease, you need to catch it early and think outside of the box.”
About one in 30,000 Canadians are living with Wilson disease, a rare genetic autosomal recessive disease that causes copper to build up in the body. Our bodies need copper in small quantities to generate energy, make connective tissues, maintain the nervous system and activate genes. With Wilson disease, the body accumulates large quantities of copper affecting liver and brain function.
If it is not caught early enough and treated, the disease can lead to life-threatening organ damage.
“Wilson disease is tricky and unpredictable – a good masquerader of other diseases,” described Dr. Peretz. “Wilson disease should be renamed to Wilson syndrome. I say that because every patient I have met presents differently. People can come in with one possible diagnosis and we may not think of Wilson disease right away. It is still a very rare condition, hard to diagnose and hard to treat.”
Dr. Peretz is one of the seven hepatologists in Manitoba who actively co-support Wilson patients.
Tomorrow is Rare Disease Day, an opportunity to raise awareness and support those on rare medical journeys. Visit https://ow.ly/OnNr50UZPzG for Dr. Peretz's story.
