Association of Boron, Copper, Germanium, Magnesium, Selenium and Zinc with Incidence of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Trace elements have an important role in numerous metabolic processes. This study aimed to investigate the association between the levels of boron, copper, germanium, magnesium, selenium and zinc with the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, and assess their relationship with other confounding factors, such as age, gender and type of rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis with rheumatoid factor positive or negative). This study also aimed to evaluate the correlation coefficient between all studied parameters. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 56 men and women Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis. An equal number of apparently healthy adults were also enrolled in this study as the control group. The patients were free from any diseases except rheumatoid arthritis, which was confirmed by clinical examination and laboratory estimations of biochemical and hematological tests. Serum levels of the investigated parameters were estimated using flame and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: Results showed that the serum levels of the investigated parameters significantly reduced in the patient groups compared with the control group. No significant age differences were observed in relation to the investigated parameters. In terms of the levels of boron, copper, magnesium and selenium a significant differences were observed between men and women. By contrast, no significant differences were observed between men and women in terms of the levels of germanium and zinc. Conclusion: The serum levels of the investigated elements were significantly reduced in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, supplementation with trace elements could be necessary for rheumatoid arthritis therapy, and even more important to individuals who are at high risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. These findings prove the possible association between decreased serum levels of the studied parameters with the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, the estimation of these trace elements could be a useful complementary non-invasive diagnostic tool to determine trace elements status for early diagnosis and therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.