Heavy metal and trace element concentrations in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

Blood, serum and urine concentrations (24 hour samples) of cadmium, lead, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper and iron were determined by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry in 54 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (CMP). These data were compared with the values in 17 healthy controls. CMP patients showed higher blood cadmium concentrations (+173%, p less than 0.001), higher serum calcium concentrations (+4%, p less than 0.01) and lower serum magnesium levels (-11%, p less than 0.01). In urine samples CMP patients had higher cadmium levels and lower concentrations of calcium (-43%, p less than 0.05) and magnesium (-36%, p less than 0.05). Correlations with clinical data revealed no definite reason for the abnormal laboratory findings in CMP patients. In individual cases, however, the high cadmium concentrations could be of aetiological importance.