Content of essential trace elements in the hair of children with short stature due to somatotropic insufficiency

Abstract

The content of essential trace elements (zinc, selenium, chrome, magnesium, copper) was studied in 102 children with short stature due to total (n = 66; 54 - boys; mean age 10.23 ± 0.4 years) or partial (n = 36; 26 - boys; mean age 8.91 ± 0.4 years) somatotropic insufficiency.Aim. The aim of our research was a complex studying the content of essential trace elements (zinc, selenium, manganese, chrome, copper) in the hair of children with low growth, caused by somatotropic insufficiency, to determine the additional ways to optimize the treatment of these patients.Methods. The content of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was determined once a morning in the blood sample by radioimmunoassay using standard kits «IRMA IGF-1" firm «Immunotech» (Czech Republic). The body height was measured using stadiometer «System Dr. Keller J.», the body mass - using Seca electronic scales. The atlas of W.W. Greulich, S.P. Pyle (1993 was used to determine the bone age.Results. As a result of our examination a significant decrease in the content of all the studied tracer elements: zinc, selenium, manganese, chrome, copper was noted in the hair of the great majority of children with complete (group I) or partial (group II) somatotropic insufficiency. A sharp decline in zinc content in the hair of patients with complete (78,50 ± 4,31 mcg / g, p˂0.001) and partial (83.94 ± 4.89 mcg / g, p˂0.001) somatotropic insufficiency, compared with reference values and control indices was established. The mean values of selenium, manganese did not differ between themselves and the indices of control group (p˃0.1) in both groups, but they were significantly lower than the reference values. A significant decrease in the chromium content in the hair of girls with the total somatotropic insufficiency comparing to the control group (p˂0.05) was revealed. The tendency to decrease in the content of copper in the hair of boys in the whole group with total somatotropic insufficiency was established.Conclusions. The obtained data indicate the expediency of studying the tracer elements status in children with short stature due to somatotropic insufficiency and of carrying out the corresponding correction, in a case of essential tracer elements deficiency