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Decreased Bioelements Content in the Hair of Patients with Fahr’s Disease (Idiopathic Bilateral Calcification in the Brain)

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Abstract

The remarkable calcification of the basal ganglia and cerebellum has been traditionally called Fahr’s disease, but this nomenclature is criticized for including heterogeneous diseases. To determine the pattern of some biological metals in the hair of patients with Fahr’s disease, we investigated the levels of 24 bioelements in the hair of 28 patients (17 males and 11 females) with Fahr’s disease and compared them with those of three age-, sex-, and living region-matched controls (84 controls in total). Interestingly, we found decreases in the levels of several bioelements [calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), iodine (I), nickel (Ni), phosphate (P), lead (Pb), and selenium (Se)] in the hair of patients. This is in contrast to our previous finding of increases of Cu, Fe, zinc (Zn), and magnesium (Mg) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients. The decreased level of Cu in the hair was the most prominent and pathognomonic, while the increased level of Cu in the CSF had been found to be the most significant in patients. More significant correlations between two bioelements in the hair were recognized in patients than controls. Although Fahr’s disease has been considered to be a heterogenous entity, the significant tendencies of several bioelements in the hair of patients in this study suggest metabolic disorders of bioelements, especially biometals, on the background. Some transporters, especially P transporter such as PiT2, of bioelements will be involved in the different distribution of bioelements in the body of patients.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. T. Imai of Sapporo Medical University Hospital, Dr. H. Ishida of Izumi Municipal Hospital, Dr. K. Iyoda of Hiroshima City Hospital, Dr. N. Kamisato of Akita Rosai Hospital, Dr. J. Kawata of Shonankamakura General Hospital, Dr. S. Kobayashi of Sapporo Medical University Hospital, Dr. A. Kume of Kume Clinic, Dr. K. Maeda of Shiga Hospital, Dr. Y. Manabe of Okayama Medical Center, Dr. M. Matsuo of Saga University Hospital, Dr. E. Miyashiro of Kaseitamura Hospital, Dr. K. Miyazaki of Shiseikai Daini Hospital, Dr. M. Mori of Jichi Medical University Hospital, Dr. T. Motoshima of Chiba Children’s Hospital, Dr. H. Murai of Iizuka Hospital, Dr. K. Shioya of Miyazaki Higashi Hospital, Dr. K. Nagashima of Public Nanokaichi Hospital, Dr. T. Nishigaki of Osaka Police Hospital, Dr. H. Nishimura of Nishinomiya Kyoritu Neurosurgical Hospital, Dr. H. Nishiura of Isahaya Health Insurance General Hospital, Dr. H. Shimada of Osaka City University Hospital, Dr. N. Suzuki of Tohoku University Hospital, Dr. Y. Taguchi of Toyama University Hospital, Dr. S. Takeshita of Yokohama City University Medical Center, Dr. E. Tsuda of Sapporo Medical University Hospital, Dr. S. Tsuneishi of Medical Welfare Center Kizuna, Dr. T. Uemichi of Kinki Central Hospital, and Dr. M. Yamada of Omori Red Cross Hospital for providing the patient specimens. We also thank Professor H. Hara of Gifu Pharmaceutical University, and Professor M. Sato of Aichi Gakuin University, for their helpful suggestions. This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (H23-Nanbyo-Ippan-106 (to IH).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-Nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan

    Mari Takagi, Mitsuko Douke, Kazunori Hashimoto, Yuichi Hayashi & Isao Hozumi

  2. Nursing Collaboration Center, Gifu College of Nursing, 3047-1 Egirachou, Hashima, 501-6295, Japan

    Kazuhiro Ozawa

  3. Research Laboratory, La Belle Vie Inc., 8-4 Nihonbashi-Tomizawachou, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0006, Japan

    Hiroshi Yasuda

  4. Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, Gifu University, Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan

    Kazunori Hashimoto, Yuichi Hayashi, Takashi Inuzuka & Isao Hozumi

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  1. Mari Takagi
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  2. Kazuhiro Ozawa
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  3. Hiroshi Yasuda
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  4. Mitsuko Douke
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  5. Kazunori Hashimoto
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  6. Yuichi Hayashi
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  7. Takashi Inuzuka
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  8. Isao Hozumi
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Correspondence to Isao Hozumi.

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Takagi, M., Ozawa, K., Yasuda, H. et al. Decreased Bioelements Content in the Hair of Patients with Fahr’s Disease (Idiopathic Bilateral Calcification in the Brain). Biol Trace Elem Res 151, 9–13 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-012-9529-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-012-9529-z

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