Copper State Among Patients Newly Diagnosed With Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Abstract

Copper deficiency can be a very important treatable cause of a picture resembling MDS. A lot of cases have been reported through the years since the first case in 1994. Anemia and neutropenia caused by copper deficiency can be completely reversed by copper supplementation. It is not fully understood how copper deficiency can lead to anemia and neutropenia, but some authors have suggested that copper enzymes are critical to the maturation of hematopoietic cells and that copper deficiency can impair effective iron utilization. We found that 4 patients of 50 patients diagnosed as MDS, between the period from September 2015 till August 2016, had copper deficiency. Two of them have probable causes of copper deficiency. The other two patients no definite cause was found. There was a strong correlation between copper level and hemoglobin level and white blood cell count of the cases with reverse correlation between copper level and platelet count. There was also a strong correlation between copper level and ceruloplasmin. This study has emphasized on the role of copper in haematopoesis and the importance of keeping copper deficiency, as a treatable differential diagnosis of MDS, in mind.