title: Silicosis related changes in serum copper.
abstract: To ascertain the diagnostic and prognostic value of serum copper in silicosis, this trace element was determined in 68 patients (all males), aged varied between 20 and 60 years (mean age 44 +/- 2.3 years). The same determination was carried out in a control group of 35 healthy subjects. The patients were distributed into three subgroups according to the evolutive stage of disease. The mean value of serum copper increased gradually from stage to stage reaching in stage III the highest copper mean value (p < 0.01). Serum copper concentrations also increased with the severity of the disease. These changes suggest that copper is directly responsible for the lung changes in silicosis and can be used as an indicator of the severity of the inflammatory reaction.
authors.affiliation: "N. Gh. Lupu" Clinical Hospital, Dept. of Clinical Immunology, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cojocaru
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dinu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012829:Silicosis / Q000097:blood*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
chemical_list: D003300:Copper