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Elevation of Serum Copper in the New Orleans Bariatric Clinic Population: the Norm or Geographically Localized Findings?

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A Correction to this article was published on 13 September 2021

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Abstract

Introduction

Circulating micronutrient levels of both serum copper and zinc have been studied to varying degrees in both the general public and patients having undergone bariatric surgery. According to the 2019 ASMBS clinical guidelines, copper supplementation is recommended for patients undergoing metabolic surgery, especially after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and duodenal switch. Copper excess has not been previously reported to any significant degree in any population.

Objective

In this study, we investigate an elevated serum copper level in the pre-surgical intervention population of the Bariatric Center of the University Medical Center–New Orleans, a primary safety net hospital for the state of Louisiana.

Methods

Five hundred five consecutive patients from the bariatric surgery undergoing a workup for surgical intervention were assessed. Patients were included regardless of whether they proceeded to surgery. The study was conducted as a retrospective review of deidentified data that was collected as part of our routine workup for bariatric surgery.

Results

The study population of the clinic consisted of a mean BMI of approximately 50 kg/m2, with 91% of the population reporting female and 69% recording an African American race. It was discovered in this population that 26% of the patients had an elevated copper level of > 155 mcg/dl. Additional analysis was performed attempting to elucidate an environmental role in the elevation by qualitative analysis of patient’s location of residence using reported home address. Additional variables were studied as well including serum zinc concentration, age, BMI, and race to address any correlative variables with our findings.

Conclusion

This study identifies an elevated serum copper concentration in a pre-intervention underserved bariatric center population positively associated with BMI, female gender, and African American race. Additional studies will be necessary to see if these trends are also apparent in normal weight controls, or if weight loss influences copper levels.

Pre-existing serum copper deficiencies may be more prevalent in the bariatric populations than previously believed.

Increased serum copper in this population was positively associated with increased BMI, age, and female gender compared to that of the male group.

Increased serum copper was also associated more closely with African American ethnicity compared to Caucasian patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University - New Orleans School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Kyle B. LaPenna & Michael W. Cook

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Derek W. Werthmann & Felicia A. Rabito

  3. Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana Of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    John W. Baker

Authors
  1. Kyle B. LaPenna
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  2. Derek W. Werthmann
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  3. Felicia A. Rabito
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  4. John W. Baker
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  5. Michael W. Cook
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael W. Cook.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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LaPenna, K., Werthmann, D., Rabito, F. et al. Elevation of Serum Copper in the New Orleans Bariatric Clinic Population: the Norm or Geographically Localized Findings?. OBES SURG 31, 4911–4917 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-021-05666-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-021-05666-6

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