2From the Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Pharmacy, İnönü University, Malatya, Turkey
3From the Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Pharmacy, İnönü University, Malatya, Turkey
4From the Department of Medical Faculty, and Department of Analytic Chemistry Faculty of Pharmacy, İnönü University, Malatya, Turkey
5Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Başkent University, Konya Turkey
Abstract
Objective: It has been speculated that trace elements may play a role in the pathogenesis of heart failure. In the present study, we aimed to assess serum concentrations of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in patients with heart failure (HF) and to compare idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) patients with healthy controls. Materials and Methods: This study population included 54 HF patients (26 IDCM patients and 28 ICM patients) and 30 healthy subjects. Serum levels of selenium, zinc, and copper were assessed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. Results: Serum concentrations of Se and Zn in HF patients were significantly lower than in healthy controls (p=0.000 and p<0.01, respec- tively). However, serum Cu concentrations in these patients were significantly higher than in controls (p=0.000). There were no significant difference in the trace elements status between IDCM and ICM patients (p>0.05 for all parameters). Relationships of the serum trace ele- ment concentrations studied with echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Our study showed that heart failure is associated with lower Se and Zn concentrations, and higher Cu concentration, and se- rum Se, Zn and Cu element profiles were similar in IDCM and ICM.