Mineral, trace element, and toxic metal concentration in hair from dogs with idiopathic epilepsy compared to healthy controls

Abstract

Background Altered trace element status is associated with epilepsy in humans and dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE). Objectives Compare hair element concentrations in epileptic and healthy dogs. Animals Sixty‐three dogs with IE (53 treated, 10 untreated) and 42 controls. Methods Case‐control study using ICP‐MS to determine hair calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium, chromium, lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, and nickel concentration. Groups were compared using nonparametric tests. Results were controlled for diet, sex, age, and hair color using generalized linear mixed models. Results Compared to healthy controls, dogs with IE had lower hair phosphorus (mean ± SD; IE: 286.19 ± 69.62 μg/g, healthy: 324.52 ± 58.69 μg/g; P = .001), higher hair copper (IE: 10.97 ± 3.51 μg/g, healthy: 8.41 ± 1.27 μg/g; P < .001), zinc (IE: 158.25 ± 19.64 μg/g, healthy: 144.76 ± 32.18 μg/g; P < .001), copper/zinc ratio (IE: 0.07 ± 0.02, healthy: 0.06 ± 0.01; P = .003), selenium (IE: 1.65 ± 0.43 μg/g, healthy: 0.94 ± 0.73 μg/g; P < .001), and arsenic (IE: 0.40 ± 0.78 μg/g, healthy: 0.05 ± 0.08 μg/g; P < .001). When comparing treated and untreated epileptic dogs with healthy dogs, the differences in phosphorus and selenium remained significant for both groups, whereas the differences in copper, zinc, and arsenic were significant only for treated dogs. Potassium bromide treatment was strongly associated with high hair arsenic (P = .000). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Altered trace element status could be involved in the pathophysiology of IE in dogs. Antiseizure drugs might affect trace element and arsenic metabolism.

Association of Serum Copper, Zinc, and Zinc/Copper Ratio with Epilepsy: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Although no association was found between serum copper and epilepsy in the general population, the zinc/copper ratio might offer an alternative perspective for diagnosing and treating epilepsy.An animal study found that the zinc/copper ratio in epileptic dogs was lower than in healthy dogs [31]. This study aligns with research on potential biomarkers in pediatric epilepsy,both showing a negative correlation between zinc/copper and epilepsy [14].…”