title: SERUM LEVELS OF COPPER AND IRON IN DENGUE FEVER.
abstract: The role of trace elements in dengue virulence is not yet known. The present study assessed the serum levels of two micronutrients, copper and iron, in cases of dengue fever. The study involved 96 patients of whom 48 had either severe or non-severe forms of dengue (with and without warning signs), and the remaining 48 were patients with other febrile illnesses (OFI), used as controls. Serum levels of copper and iron were evaluated at admission and by the time of defervescence using commercially available kits. At admission, no difference in the level of serum copper was observed between cases and controls. In the group of dengue cases, the copper level was found to be significantly decreased in severe and non-severe cases with warning signs, compared to non-severe cases without warning signs. In contrast, by the time of defervescence the copper level was found to be increased in all dengue cases compared to OFI controls, but no difference was observed among dengue cases. Unlike OFI controls, dengue cases showed an increasing pattern of copper levels from admission until defervescence. On the other hand, no such significant differences were observed in the serum level of iron in the clinical groups, except for a decreased iron level found in severe cases, compared to non-severe dengue without warning signs. The results show that copper is associated with dengue severity and this finding emphasizes the need to investigate the involvement of trace elements in disease severity so as to improve the prognosis of dengue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Rajendiran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soundravally
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sherin
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, TamilNadu, IN.
authors.forename: Balakrishna Pillai
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Agieshkumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Mariya Samadanam
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Daisy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Cherupanakkal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cleetus
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Parameswaran
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Tamilarasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kadhiravan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Sistla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sujatha
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, IN.
authors.forename: Kottyen Thazhath
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Harichandrakumar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood*; D003715:Dengue / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron