Levels of Essential and Conditionally Essential Nutrients in the Intraoperative Biopsy Specimens of Children With Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Rhythm Disorders

Abstract

Background. Despite recent numerous studies, etiopathogenesis, treatment and rehabilitation of children with heart rhythm disorders haven’t been studied well. We paid attention to the significant impact of mineral nutrients on cardiac activity, while addressing to the viable solutions. Aim. To measure the levels of essential and conditionally essential mineral nutrients and to determine any relationships between their concentrations in hair and in the intraoperative biopsy specimens obtained from children with congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders. Methods 55 children (34 boys and 21 girls) aged 6 to 17 years with different heart rhythm disorders and congenital heart disease were included in the study. Levels of 15 essential mineral nutrients (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, chromium, copper, iron, iodine, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc) and 3 conditionally essential nutrients (boron, silicon, vanadium) were measured in hair and in the intraoperative biopsy specimens obtained from children with congenital heart disease using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry. The results of the study were processed using variational and alternative statistic methods with the commercially available software “MedStat”. Results The lack of essential nutrients (K, Mn, Se, Cr, P, Co, S, Cu, Na, Mo) and conditionally essential mineral, Si, in the intraoperative biopsy specimens of the heart and great arteries has been found. The direct strong correlation between the levels of essential (K, Mn, Se, Cr, Co) and conditionally essential (Si) minerals in hair and heart tissues of children with congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders has been determined. Conclusion The deficit of essential (potassium, manganese, selenium, chromium, phosphorus, cobalt, sulfur, copper, sodium, molybdenum) and conditionally essential (silicon) mineral nutrients, and the direct strong correlation between their levels in hair and heart tissues of children with congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders allows using hair as a biosubstrate, which is highly informative for the measurement of nutrients in the human body.