Sudden (acute) liver failure and Wilson’s disease
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare, life-threatening condition where the liver stops working within days or weeks. There are lots of causes of acute liver failure. Wilson’s disease is one of them.
People with acute liver failure are very ill. They may need emergency treatment or transfer to a specialist liver centre.
Acute liver failure from Wilson’s disease can occur at any age. However, it is more common in teenagers and young adults. It is also more common in women and teenage girls than in men, teenage boys, or young children.
The information on this page is for:
- Adults and children with Wilson’s disease or suspected Wilson’s disease
- Parents of children with Wilson’s disease or suspected Wilson’s disease
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals
On this page:
Tests for Wilson’s disease in acute liver failure
Anyone aged 4 or older with sudden liver failure should be tested for Wilson’s disease.
Doctors will look for signs and symptoms of Wilson’s disease including:
- A type of anaemia called Coombs-negative haemolysis. This can be found using a blood test.
- A copper-coloured ring around the coloured part of the eye called a Kayser-Fleischer ring (KF ring). This can be found with a special eye test.
- Brain problems caused by Wilson’s disease. These can be found using an MRI scan.
Genetic testing can confirm Wilsons disease if other tests suggest it might be the cause of the acute liver failure.
Treatment for Wilson’s disease in acute liver failure
People with acute liver failure need urgent treatment and careful monitoring. Adults are usually admitted to intensive care. Children with acute liver failure will usually be transferred to a specialist centre.
Specialist medical teams look after people with acute liver failure. Their first aim is to make you medically stable. They will also find out what is causing your liver to fail, so it can be treated.
If someone has acute liver failure that might be caused by Wilson’s disease they should start treatment straight away. Even if all the test results have not come back.
The treatment will focus on trying to get rid of the extra copper that has built up in the liver. But in some cases an urgent liver transplant is needed.
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Everyone’s experience of Wilson’s disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
Our information aims to be clear, up-to-date, and useful. We work with people living with liver disease and clinicians to make our information.
The main source for this information is: EASL-ERN clinical practice guidelines on Wilson’s disease, 2025
This content was last reviewed: December 2025
We would like to thank all the patients and families who helped to create this information. Thank you to our clinical reviewer, Dr William Griffiths, consultant hepatologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS foundation trust.
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