Subclinical Myocardial Dysfunction in Children With Wilson's Disease

August 12, 2026 updated by: Hebatullah Fawzy

Assessment of Subtle Myocardial Dysfunction in Children With Wilson's Disease: A Case-Control Study

Wilson's disease (WD) is one of the most common metabolic liver diseases in older children. The most frequent clinical presentation is liver disease. However, Wilson's disease (WD) is a multisystem disorder. It is concluded that four modes of cardiac manifestations in Wilson's disease (WD) include arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, cardiac death, and autonomic dysfunction. Such possible cardiac involvement should be added to the clinical picture of Wilson's disease (WD) involving the hepatic and central nervous system(CNS).

The data on cardiac manifestations in children is very limited and only few adult studies are available.

In this study, the investigators aim to unveil subclinical cardiac dysfunction in children with Wilson's disease with apparently normal cardiac functions by conventional assessment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Wilson's disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive metabolic liver disorder caused by toxic copper accumulation. While hepatic and neurological manifestations are well recognized, copper can also accumulate in cardiac tissue, potentially leading to subtle myocardial changes, arrhythmias, and heart failure. Traditional two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography often appears normal in early stages. This study aims to evaluate early left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic dysfunction in pediatric patients with Wilson's disease using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and tissue Doppler imaging, and to correlate these findings with serum levels of Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (Pro-BNP) and ceruloplasmin.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
72

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Cairo, Egypt
        • Faculty of medicine AinShams U
      • Giza, Egypt
        • National Hepatology and Tropical Research Institute (NHTMRI)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

They will be divided in to 2 groups: - Group 1: Patients confirmed Wilson's disease. - Group 2: Controls.

  • Patients group: Patient diagnosed as WD patients, following up in Pediatric Hepatology Clinic in NHTMRI.

According to Criteria of diagnosis based on Leipzig scoring system (11,12): Typical clinical symptoms and signs, as: Kayser-Fleischer rings, neurological symptoms, serum ceruloplasmin, Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia. Other tests: Liver biopsy, 24hr urinary Cu, gene analysis.

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Confirmed diagnosis of Wilson's disease based on Leipzig scoring criteria (including clinical signs, Kayser-Fleischer rings, low ceruloplasmin, or genetic analysis).
  2. Age between 4 years and 18 years.
  3. Written informed consent obtained from parents or legal guardians.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Children with clinical evidence of overt heart failure or known congenital heart disease.
  2. Children suffering from fulminant hepatitis.
  3. Known co-existing primary liver diseases other than Wilson's disease.
  4. Presence of syndromic disorders or major congenital anomalies.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Group 1 (Cases)
Children aged 4-18 years with confirmed Wilson's disease recruited from the Pediatric Hepatology Clinic at the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute (NHTMRI).
Device: Echocardiography
a safe, painless test that uses sound waves to create moving pictures of your heart's structure and pumping function.
Other Names:
  • Echo
Device: Electrocardiography
a quick, painless test that records the electrical signals in the heart.
Other Names:
  • ECG
Diagnostic test: N-terminal pro b- type natriuretic peptide
a protein made by our heart, examined by peripheral blood sample.
Other Names:
  • pro BNP
Group 2 (Controls)
Age- and sex-matched control children without chronic liver or cardiac illness recruited from the outpatient clinic.
Device: Echocardiography
a safe, painless test that uses sound waves to create moving pictures of your heart's structure and pumping function.
Other Names:
  • Echo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Left Ventricular Peak Longitudinal Strain (LV-PLS)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).
Left Ventricular Peak Longitudinal Strain (LV-PLS) assessed by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (STE) to evaluate subclinical LV systolic dysfunction. Expressed as a negative percentage (%), where a less negative percentage indicates impaired function.
Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Serum Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (Pro-BNP) Level
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).
Quantitative measurement of serum Pro-BNP assessed via ELISA (pg/mL) as a circulating biomarker of cardiac wall stress.
Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).
Tissue Doppler LV Filling Pressure (E/e' Ratio)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).
Ratio of early mitral inflow velocity (E) measured by conventional Doppler to early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e') measured by tissue Doppler imaging to evaluate LV diastolic function.
Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).
Serum Ceruloplasmin Level Correlation
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1,at time of cardiac evaluation or within 6 months preceding cardiac evaluation).
Serum ceruloplasmin levels (mg/dL) measured within 6 months of cardiac evaluation to correlate hepatic copper transport marker levels with cardiac function parameters.
Baseline (Day 1,at time of cardiac evaluation or within 6 months preceding cardiac evaluation).
Frequency of Electrocardiographic (ECG) Abnormalities
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).
Presence or absence of cardiac electrical abnormalities, including conduction delays, ST-T wave changes, and arrhythmias recorded on standard 12-lead ECG.
Baseline (Day 1 , at single cross-sectional evaluation).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Hebatullah Fawzy

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Hebatullah I Fawzy, Msc Student, Faculty of medicine AinShams U,National Hepatology and Tropical Research Institute (NHTMRI)
  • Study Chair: Eman M ElSayed (Assistant Professor of Pediatrics), AssProfessor, Faculty of medicine AinShams U
  • Study Director: Mona AH Khafagy (Lecturer of Pediatrics), Lecturer, Faculty of medicine AinShams U
  • Study Director: Sara M Osman (Teaching Fellow of Pediatrics), PedFellow, National Hepatology and Tropical Research Institute (NHTMRI)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 12, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Wilson's disease and Heart

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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