title: [Minerals in normal and cirrhotic liver. The pathology of mineral dependent athrocytic liver cirrhosis].
abstract: Concentrations of iron, copper and zinc were measured in postmortem specimens of liver, muscle and brain tissue by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Concentrations varied markedly in normal liver specimens from person to person, but not in other organ specimens. Copper concentrations in specimens from cirrhotic livers were normal in most cases, however at the upper limit of normal in about 20% of the cases evaluated. Concentrations of zinc and iron were lower than normal in cirrhotic livers. Mineral concentrations were higher by a factor of 10-20 in liver specimens of patients with hemochromatosis or M. Wilson than in normals. Iron overloading as a consequence of therapy (secondary hemochromatosis) and liver changes due to longtime artificially elevated plasma copper levels may imitate the adult form of the "classic" mineral storage diseases mentioned. Thus "athrocytotic" liver cirrhosis, being caused or accompanied by metal excess has to be considered as a polyetiological syndrome.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000378:metabolism; D006527:Hepatolenticular Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D015032:Zinc
vernacular_title: Vergleichende Untersuchungen zum Mineralgehalt der normalen und zirrhotischen Leber. Ein Beitrag zur Pathologie mineralabhängiger athrozytotischer Leberzirrhosen.