Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Cardiovascular Imaging - Introducing the Spatially Weighted Calcium Score for Early Disease Detection
Published on: September 22, 2023
Are Hair Scalp Trace Elements Correlated with Atherosclerosis Location in Coronary Artery Disease?
Tomasz Urbanowicz1,2, Anetta Hanć3, Julia Frąckowiak4
1Cardiac Surgery and Transplantology Department, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Dluga ½ Street, 61-701, Poznan, Poland. turbanowicz@ump.edu.pl.
Insights
Trace elements in hair scalp correlate with specific coronary artery disease locations. This finding may link trace element levels to atherosclerosis development and its specific epicardial artery involvement.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Trace Element Research
- Atherosclerosis Pathophysiology
Background:
- Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major health concern with known genetic, clinical, and lifestyle risk factors.
- The specific locations of epicardial artery involvement in CAD remain unclear.
- Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory response potentially influenced by trace elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between hair scalp trace element concentrations and the location of atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries.
- To explore if trace elements can serve as indicators for specific CAD locations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of hair scalp trace element concentrations (Ni, Zn, Sb, Cr, Na, As, Mo, Sr, K, Mg) in 175 patients undergoing coronary angiography.
- Correlation of trace element levels with the percentage of lumen stenosis in specific coronary arteries (left main, left descending, circumflex, right coronary).
Main Results:
- Positive correlations found between left main artery plaques and nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and antimony (Sb).
- Left descending artery disease correlated positively with chromium (Cr), sodium (Na), arsenic (As), and molybdenum (Mo), and negatively with strontium (Sr).
- Circumflex artery lesions showed correlations with Na, K, Cr, Ni, As, and negatively with Sr.
- Right coronary artery disease showed negative correlations with magnesium (Mg) and Sr.
Conclusions:
- Hair scalp trace element concentrations are associated with specific coronary artery disease locations and severity.
- These findings suggest a potential link between trace elements and the localized inflammatory processes of atherosclerosis.
- Trace elements may represent a missing link in understanding the pathophysiological basis of coronary artery localization in atherosclerosis.
Abstract:
Coronary artery disease is among the leading current epidemiological challenges. The genetic, clinical, and lifestyle-related risk factors are well documented. The reason for specific epicardial artery locations remains unsolved. The coronary artery topography and blood flow characteristics may induce local inflammatory activation. The atherosclerotic plaque formation is believed to represent inflammatory response involving enzymatic processes co-factored by trace elements. The possible relation between trace elements and coronary artery disease location was the subject of the study. There were 175 patients (107 (61) men and 68 (39) females) in a median (Q1-3) age of 71 years (65-76) admitted for coronary angiography due to chronic coronary syndrome. The angiographic results focused on the percentage of lumen stenosis in certain arteries and were compared with the results for hair scalp trace elements. The correlation between left main coronary artery atherosclerotic plaques and nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and antimony (Sb) hair scalp concentration was noted. The analysis revealed a positive relation between left descending artery disease and chromium (Cr), sodium (Na), arsenic (As), and molybdenum (Mo) and a negative correlation with strontium (Sr). The atherosclerotic lesion in the circumflex artery revealed correlations in our analysis with sodium (Na), potassium (K), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), and negative with strontium (Sr) (r) hair scalp concentrations. The negative correlations between right coronary artery disease and magnesium (Mg) and strontium (Sr) concentrations were noted. The possible explanation of different epicardial artery involvement and severity by atherosclerotic processes may lay in their topography and blood rheological characteristics that induce different inflammatory reactions co0factored by specific trace elements. The trace element concentration in the hair scalp may correlate with a particular coronary atherosclerotic involvement, including the severity of lumen reduction. This may indicate the missing link between the pathophysiological processes of atherosclerosis development and its location in coronary arteries.
More Related Videos
13:07Optical Coherence Tomography Based Biomechanical Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis of Coronary Atherosclerosis Progression
Published on: January 15, 2022
13:45A Method to Study the Correlation Between Local Collagen Structure and Mechanical Properties of Atherosclerotic Plaque Fibrous Tissue
Published on: November 11, 2022
Related Concept Videos
01:25Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System III: Serum Lipid Profile
Serum lipids are fats and fatty substances in the blood and are crucial for various bodily functions, including energy storage, cellular structure, and hormone production. Serum lipids consist of cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids.
Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like substance found in all body cells. It is crucial for producing hormones, vitamin D, and substances that aid...
01:19Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...