Changes of selenium, copper, and zinc content in hair and serum of patients with idiopathic scoliosis

Abstract

Our work aimed at extending the search for abnormalities of trace elements in patients with idiopathic scoliosis to the content of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and selenium (Se) in these subject's hair and serum. A total of 59 patients (54 girls and 4 boys) with idiopathic scoliosis, aged 13 on the average (range, 10-18 years), were examined. The degree of spine curvature deformity ranged between 128 and 828. The hair of scoliotic patients under examination showed significantly increased content of zinc 263 AE 108 mg/g (p < 0.01) and copper 46.2 AE 37.1 mg/g (p < 0.01), and decreased content of selenium 0.194 AE 0.114 mg/g (p < 0.01) in comparison with the control group. In scoliotic patients, the Cu/ Zn ratio in hair (0.186 AE 0.139) did not differ significantly from the values found in the probands of the control group (0.115 AE 0.09). The Cu/Se ratio in this group of patients (254.9 AE 215.9) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) due to a higher Cu value and a lower Se value in comparison with the controls (47.9 AE 23.7). In comparison with controls, the serum selenium concentration in the group of scoliotic patients was significantly decreased p < 0.05 (0.74 AE 0.13 mmol/L and 0.98 AE 0.12 mmol/L). Various changes in the content of trace elements in biological samples taken from patients with idiopathic scoliosis are not accidental. What might bring about a shift in our knowledge is speciation of various forms of trace elements in the organism in relation to idiopathic scoliosis. ß

Investigation of Serum Levels of Selenium, Zinc, and Copper in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis

“…In some studies, serum selenium levels were found to be low in the scoliosis patients [10,13,14]. In a study for example, selenium levels both in the serum and in hair samples were found to be low in IS patients [14].…”

“…In a study for example, selenium levels both in the serum and in hair samples were found to be low in IS patients [14]. Dastych et al compared vertebra curvature levels with serum selenium, zinc, and copper levels in their study and found that patients with more than 45° curvature who required surgical treatment had significantly lower levels of serum selenium and serum/albumin ratio compared to patients with less than 45° curvature [10].…”

“…In various studies, melatonin, thrombocyte anomalies; body asymmetry; intervertebral disc anomalies and connective tissue anomalies were suggested to have an important place in IS etiology [4,11,12,14].…”

“…The absorption of these trace elements in the body, their transport in blood, and their metabolism in liver and target tissues are well known. Various studies have shown that deficiency of some trace elements, such as copper and selenium, may cause disruptions in collagen synthesis and maturation [14][15][16]. Some studies suggested that selenium deficiency is a risk factor for IS [10,11,13]; recent studies have also suggested that excess selenium is also a risk factor for IS [17,18].…”

Congential scoliosis in Wilson’s disease: case report and review of the literature

“…However, the exact mechanism how copper-chelating agents induce scoliosis is unclear. Previous studies had shown that the hair copper concentration was significantly higher in patients with scoliosis versus control group [14]. The potential mechanisms in the pathogenesis of congenital scoliosis of WD included genetic variant and excessive accumulation of copper during pregnancy.…”