Children with Idiopathic arthritis have very low Boron levels – Jan 2016

Measurement of serum trace elements levels in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Egyptian Rheumatology & Rehabilitation 2016, 43:59-66, Received 16 November 2015 Accepted 09 January 2016

• Soliman A. Yassera, Nashwa I. Hashaada, Ali M. Shouzanb, Hala A. El Noutya
• Departments of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, bBiochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
• Correspondence to Nashwa Ismail Hashaad, MD, Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13758, Egypt Tel: +20 288 760 760; e-mail: nashwa_hashaad at yahoo.com

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Aim
This study was designed to assess the serum levels boron (B), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and to evaluate their relationships with the disease activity parameters.

Patients and methods
This study was conducted on 30 children with JIA and 20 apparently healthy children. Patients were subjected to a thorough history-taking, clinical examination, plain radiography of both hands, and laboratory investigations including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, and antinuclear antibodies. Disease activity was measured using the Juvenile arthritis disease activity score 27 (JADAS-27 score). Serum B, Cu, and Zn levels were also measured.

Results
The mean serum B level was highly statistically significantly lower in the JIA patients’ group than that in the control group. The mean serum Cu level was highly statistically significantly higher in the JIA patients’ group than that in the control group. Finally, the mean serum Zn level was statistically insignificantly lower in the JIA patients group than that in the control group. There were significant negative correlations between serum B concentrations and tender joint count (TJC). There were significant positive correlations between serum Cu concentrations and TJC, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and JADAS-27. There were significant negative correlations between serum Zn concentrations and TJC and JADAS-27.

Conclusion
B serum level may play a role in the pathophysiology of JIA and its severity. Serum levels of B, Cu, and Zn seem to be of fundamental importance in the assessment of a JIA patient.

See also web

• What is Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis? arthritis.org
  "Nearly 300,000 (US) children – from infants to teenagers – in the U.S. have some form of arthritis. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common type of arthritis in children. The term idiopathic means “of unknown origin.” JIA was previously called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA.."
• Search Google for "rheumatoid arthritis" and Boron 192,000 hits as of Nov 2016