Serum Iron and Zinc Levels in Lebanese Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that attacks mainly the myelin sheath covering the axons of neurons. Various studies have reported a potential role of zinc and iron in MS disease. The aim of this study is to estimate the serum level of iron and zinc in Lebanese MS patients.

Methods: Sixty-nine participants were enrolled in this study, 27 were diagnosed with MS according to McDonald's criteria and 42 were normal control. Subjects were matched in age. Serum iron and zinc levels were measured using colorimetric methods. Descriptive methods and Mann-Whitney U test were used in the statistical analysis.

Results: The mean age of MS patients and healthy subjects was 42.8 and 38.3 years respectively. The mean serum iron level in patient and control groups was 84.7 and 83.3 μg/dl respectively. The mean serum zinc level in patient and control groups was 80.6 and 82.0 μg/dl respectively. No significant association was observed between serum iron and zinc levels in both groups. No association was also observed between serum iron and zinc levels in terms of gender.

Conclusion: Our results showed no significant difference in serum iron and zinc levels between MS patients and healthy controls.