Yoo Jae-Kook, Kwon Soon-Hee, Yoon Sul-Hee, Lee Jeong-Eun, Chun Jong-Un, Chung Je-Hyuk, Lee Sang-Yoon, Lee Jeong-Hwan, Chae Yu-Ra
Department of Neurology, ALS Center, The Rodem Hospital, Incheon 22142, Republic of Korea.
Department of Internal Medicine, ALS Center, The Rodem Hospital, Incheon 22142, Republic of Korea.
Biomedicines. 2025 Jun 18;13(6):1496. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines13061496.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with an unclear etiology. This study aimed to assess chronic heavy metal exposure in ALS patients in South Korea by comparing hair concentrations of common (Hg, Pb, Cd) and rare (U, Th, Pt) metals with healthy controls.
Hair samples were collected from 66 ALS patients and 70 healthy individuals at Rodem Hospital between 2022 and 2025. Metal concentrations were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following standardized washing and digestion protocols.
ALS patients showed significantly higher levels of Hg, Pb, Cd, Al, As, and U than controls ( < 0.05). Notably, 40% of ALS patients had Hg levels exceeding 50% of the reference upper limit, compared to only 10% of controls. Elevated levels of uranium and other rare metals were also observed in specific ALS cases.
These findings suggest a possible association between heavy metal exposure and ALS in South Korea. Hair analysis may serve as a useful tool for identifying environmental factors contributing to ALS pathogenesis.
肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）是一种病因不明的进行性神经退行性疾病。本研究旨在通过比较韩国ALS患者与健康对照者头发中常见金属（汞、铅、镉）和稀有金属（铀、钍、铂）的浓度，评估ALS患者的慢性重金属暴露情况。
2022年至2025年期间，在罗德姆医院收集了66例ALS患者和70名健康个体的头发样本。按照标准化的清洗和消化方案，使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测量金属浓度。
ALS患者的汞、铅、镉、铝、砷和铀水平显著高于对照组（<0.05）。值得注意的是，40%的ALS患者汞水平超过参考上限的50%，而对照组仅为10%。在特定的ALS病例中也观察到铀和其他稀有金属水平升高。
这些发现表明韩国重金属暴露与ALS之间可能存在关联。头发分析可能是识别导致ALS发病机制的环境因素的有用工具。
