[Serious side effects with D-penicillamine therapy for Wilson's disease].

Immunocomplex nephritis as one of the serious side-effects is dealt with on the basis of 41 patients with Wilson's Disease who have been treated for many years and were stabilised on D-penicillinamine. In one quarter of the patients, proteinuria was found 1 to 5 years after the beginning of the therapy. Until now, an immunocomplex nephritis with diffuse granular, mainly epimembranous IgG and C3 deposits on the glomerular basement membran was found in four patients. No circulating antibodies against cell nuclei were found. The finding of immunocomplex nephritis calls for the discontinuation of the therapy for an at present unknown period of time.