Serum Levels of Some Essential Trace Elements in Patients with Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that affects both the articular cartilage and the underlying subchondral bone
over time. Joint pain and stiffness are the most prevalent symptoms. The aim of this study was to estimate the serum levels of
some essential trace elements in subjects with osteoarthritis (OA). A total of 300 subjects comprising of 150 OA (test group) and
150 non-osteoarthritis (healthy control) subjects, between the ages of 51 to 90 years old were recruited for this study. The control
subjects were healthy individuals recruited from different locations in Ondo state. Questionnaires were administered first to the
control subjects before being recruited for this study. Atomic absorption spectrometer was used to measure the serum
concentrations of calcium, copper, zinc and selenium, after proper digestion with acid, while Vitamin D and K were measured
using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometer respectively. There was high prevalence of
female (60.7%) OA subjects when compared with their male (39.3%) counterpart. The concentrations of calcium, selenium and
Vit. D of OA subjects were significantly higher (p<0.001) than the non-osteoarthritis. However, the concentrations of zinc,
copper and Vit. K of OA was significantly lower than the non-osteoarthritis subjects between the distributions. Subjects with
osteoarthritis had higher levels of calcium, Selenium and Vit. D and lower levels of zinc, copper and Vit. K. In addition, Zinc
and selenium supplements which reduce the severity of OA should be further encouraged.