Abstract
Objective Zinc, copper and iron have been considered vital for normal brain functioning. Our study aimed to assess changes in the level of zinc, copper, ferritin and haemoglobin (HgB) concentration in children who presented with variable degrees of cognitive impairment. Patients and methods In this study, determination of HgB%, plasma ferritin, zinc and copper in 68 children with cognitive impairment and in 46 age-matched control children was carried out. Correlation between various elements was studied. Results A significantly decreased levels of plasma zinc and copper were found in children with cognitive decline compared with control children (P<0.0001 and P<0.0001, respectively). A significantly decreased ferritin was also found in affected children (P<0.001), whereas the difference in HgB% between both groups was not significant. No significant correlation was found between zinc and copper and between HgB% and ferritin among the studied patients, which could be attributed to increased variances of the studied elements in affected children and to the role of other cofactors. Conclusion Our current study highlights the role of zinc, copper and iron stores in cognitive processes in children, being significantly decreased in children with cognitive impairment; however, further randomized controlled studies are needed in similar populations to confirm their role.
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