Blood and Fingernail Copper (Cu) and Magnesium (Mg) Levels of Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Authors: İdris AKKUŞ, Mehmet GÜRBİLEK, Ümran ÇALIŞKAN, Bünyamin KAPTANOĞLU, Abdurrahman ÜNER

Abstract: In this study, serum and fingernali Cu and Mg levels of 10 children with acute Iymphoblastic leukemia and 12 healthy children were determined. Copper and magnesium levels of the sera and supernatants were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. (Perkin-Elmer 400). Fingernail Cu and Mg levels of the patients were 8.67 ± 5.35 and 0.22 ± 0.12 µmol/mg of nail respectively. The values for control subjects were 4.27 ± 2.32 and 0.14 ± 0.03 µmol/mg of nail. Serum Cu and Mg levels of the patients were 525.1 ± 160.9 µg/dl and 2.42 ± 0.54 mg/dl, and those of controls were 115.0 ± 70.7 µg/dl and 2.20 ± 0.70 mg/dl respectively. The differences between serum Cu and fingernail Cu and Mg levels of the two groups were statistically significant which might be an index for the activity of the disease.

Keywords: Leukemia, copper, magnesium, fingernail

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