Abstract: Wilson's disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease characterized by abnormal copper metabolism, which can cause secondary damage to pathological organs, mainly liver and brain. The current basic treatment for patients with WD is based on medicines that increase excretion of copper from the body,such as chelators or zinc salts, etc. The choices of these agents should be based on patients' clinical manifestations and tolerance to them owing to side effects, physicians' experience and the cost and availability of them. The treatment of WD remains challenging for its side effects, compliance problems and life-long treatment. The shortage of donor liver, high cost, and the need for sustained immunosuppressive therapy after operation restrict the application of liver transplantation. Therefore, new treatment or methods, especially ones with better safety and permanent cure, are also attracting more and more attention. Therefore, this article systematically reviews the current research progress in treatment of patients with WD.

Key words: Wilson disease, Therapy, Nervous system symptoms, Cell transplantation, Gene therapy