Faculty of Medicine, Valladolid University, Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 7, 47005 Valladolid, Spain.
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Science Faculty, Valladolid University, Campus Miguel Delibes, Calle Paseo de Belén, 7, 47011 Valladolid, Spain.
Nutrients. 2021 Oct 13;13(10):3578. doi: 10.3390/nu13103578.
Copper is an essential micronutrient for humans. A cross-sectional and comparative study was done to assess serum Cu levels and serum copper/zinc (Cu/Zn) ratio and its association with nutritional indicators in a series of children and adolescents with chronic diseases. Anthropometric, biochemical, dietary, body composition, and bone densitometry assessments were carried out. Serum Cu and Zn were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Seventy-eight patients (55% women) participated. The mean serum Cu in the entire series and by nutritional status through body mass index (BMI) was normal. Serum Cu decreased significantly with age and was meaningfully higher in children than in adolescents. The risk of finding altered Cu levels in children and men was higher than in adolescents and women, respectively. Twenty-two per cent of patients had abnormal serum copper levels, 13 had hypercupremia, and four had hypocupremia. The Cu/Zn ratio was greater than 1.00 for 87% of the patients, which is an indicator of an inflammatory state. All patients with hypozincemia and hypocupremia had deficient Zn intake, but only 65% of the patients with hypercupremia had dietary Zn deficiency. Consequently, the Cu/Zn ratio could indicate an inflammatory state and a high risk of zinc deficiency in this specific child population.
铜是人体必需的微量元素。本研究通过横断面和对比研究评估了一系列患有慢性疾病的儿童和青少年的血清 Cu 水平和血清铜/锌（Cu/Zn）比值及其与营养指标的相关性。进行了人体测量学、生化、饮食、身体成分和骨密度测量。采用原子吸收分光光度法测量血清 Cu 和 Zn。78 名患者（55%为女性）参与了研究。整个系列和通过体重指数（BMI）的营养状况的平均血清 Cu 水平正常。血清 Cu 随年龄显著降低，且儿童期的血清 Cu 显著高于青春期。儿童和男性中发现 Cu 水平改变的风险分别高于青少年和女性。22%的患者血清 Cu 水平异常，13 例高铜血症，4 例低铜血症。87%的患者 Cu/Zn 比值大于 1.00，这是炎症状态的一个指标。所有低锌血症和低铜血症的患者 Zn 摄入量不足，但仅有 65%的高铜血症患者存在饮食 Zn 缺乏。因此，在该特定儿童人群中，Cu/Zn 比值可能表明存在炎症状态和 Zn 缺乏的高风险。
