Work

The association between serum copper and anaemia in the adult Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) population

Year: 2007

Type: article

Abstract: Though common in older adults, anaemia is unexplained in about one-third of cases. As a rare cause of anaemia and neutropenia, Cu deficiency could account for some cases of unexplained anaemia. We examined the relationship between serum Cu and unexplained anaemia among 11,240 participants in the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II): 638 (5.7% of all adults) were anaemic; 421 (3.7%) were not explained by deficiencies of vitamin B12, folate or Fe, chronic illness or renal disease. Spline regression showed a U-shaped relationship between serum Cu levels and unexplained anaemia, indicating that both high and low serum Cu levels are associated with unexplained anaemia in adults. Chronic inflammation and mild Fe deficiency could account for the association between unexplained anaemia and elevated Cu levels. On the other hand, the finding of hypocupraemia in a subset of adults with unexplained anaemia suggests that Cu deficiency may be a common reversible cause of anaemia in adults.

Source: British Journal Of Nutrition

DOI: 10.1017/s0007114507864828

Authors: Mary Ann Knovich, Dora Il'yasova, Anastasia Ivanova, István Molnár

Institutions: Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center

Language: English

Topic: Trace Elements in Health

Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics

Field: Nursing

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: American Society of Hematology, Amgen, Wake Forest University