Coronary atherosclerosis and chemical trace elements in the hair. A canonical correlation study of autopsy subjects, using an atherometric system and the X-ray fluorescence analysis.

An atherometric system (AS) was used to study coronary atherosclerotic lesions of a sample of 73 autopsy subjects. The content of nine chemical elements in the hair (K, Ca, Zn, Br, Sr, Pb, S, Cl, Cu) and the rates Zn/Cu and Ca/K were determined by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis. Some canonical correlation analyses (CCA) were made of different combinations of chemical elements contents and of the following descriptive arterial variables of As: fatty streaks, fibrous plaques, severe (complicated plus calcified), plaques, and total atherosclerosis and the three weighted indices of AS, i.e. obstruction, stenosis and benignity. The arterial variables were obtained from the three major epicardial branches of the coronary arteries. Similar CCA analyses were performed to correlate chemical elements of the hair with some heart variables of AS, such as heart weight and estimated total volume of myocardium damaged by fibrosis and/or necrosis. The most remarkable results were as follows: Combinations of Pb, Ca/K, Zn/Cu and Fe, Ca/K, Zn/Cu were always strongly correlated with fatty streaks, fibrous plaques and severe plaques of the three coronary artery branches and the total coronary artery system, with the only exception of the left circumflex coronary artery when Fe was included. Similar results were recorded from obstruction, stenosis and benignity indices of AS. These two combinations of chemical elements were also correlated with the heart variables of AS. When the group of elements was integrated by Br, Ca/K, Zn/Cu, there were significant results with the heart variables, but not with the arterial variables of the AS.