Measurement of Zinc, Copper, Manganese, and Iron Concentrations in Hair of Pituitary Dwarfism Patients Using Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

    January 2002 in “ Biological Trace Element Research ”
    Fumie Miki, Takashi Sakai, Masanobu Wariishi, Masayuki Kaji
    TLDR Children with pituitary dwarfism have higher zinc and copper, lower manganese, and similar iron levels in hair compared to normal children.
    The study analyzed the concentrations of zinc, copper, manganese, and iron in the hair of 103 children with pituitary dwarfism (hGHD) undergoing human growth hormone (hGH) treatment, compared to 338 age-matched normal subjects. Results showed that hGHD patients had approximately 1.7 times higher zinc and higher copper concentrations than normal subjects, while manganese levels were about 50% lower. Iron levels were similar between both groups. The study suggested that hGH treatment affected the metabolism of these trace elements, with notable differences in zinc and copper concentrations between hGHD and normal subjects. The study also observed that zinc concentration in hair was negatively correlated with body weight gain over a year.
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