Serum copper, ceruloplasmin, and their relations to metabolic factors in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study

This study aimed to investigate serum copper (Cu) and ceruloplasmin (Cer) levels and their relations to metabolic factors in NAFLD. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 141 subjects with NAFLD diagnosed using abdominal ultrasonography. Personal information, anthropometric measures, glucose and lipid profile, and serum levels of liver enzymes were assessed. Fasting serum levels of Cu and Cer were determined using colorimetry and nephelometry assay, respectively. Odds ratios (ORs) were used to examine the associations of serum Cu and Cer levels with NAFLD risk. Results The results on 85 patients with NAFLD and 56 apparently healthy participants showed that all NAFLD cases and 53.6% of the healthy subjects were overweight or obese. More than half of the patients (58.8%) showed mild NAFLD. Age, weight, BMI, lipid profile, uric acid, and ferritin were significantly higher in NAFLD patients than the healthy cases. No significant differences were found in the concentrations of Cu and Cer between the groups. Only 7.4% of the healthy subjects and 2.4% of the patients were Cu deficient (
Source: European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Original Articles: Hepatology Source Type: research