Effect of Disturbances of Zinc and Copper on the Physical and Mental Health Status of Patients with Alcohol Dependence

The concentrations of copper and zinc in the tissues of alcohol-addicted people can significantly correlate with the variables describing their mental state. Studies on the homeostasis of zinc in alcohol-dependent patients have often been characterized by low hypozincemia detection. This may be caused by a low content of zinc in blood serum (1%) compared to the average zinc level in the body. Unfortunately, most authors have identified extracellular zinc in their studies. In the available literature, data on the level of copper in patients suffering from alcohol dependence are inconsistent. Our study included 100 alcohol-addicted patients (the study group) and 50 healthy subjects (the control group). Mental state was measured using appropriate psychometric scales. We used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine copper and zinc content. Our results confirm the purposefulness of the use of zinc concentration in erythrocytes as a diagnostic parameter for low zinc status in alcohol-dependent patients. Alcohol-dependent patients with reduced concentrations of zinc in erythrocytes/copper in blood plasma differed significantly from alcohol-dependent patients with normal concentrations in terms of clinical parameters. With regard to zinc in blood plasma and copper in erythrocytes, this situation has not been found. The clinical symptoms of hypozincemia and copper deficiency in patients addicted to alcohol usually relate to disorders in central nervous system functioning, and they result in a decreased quality of physical and mental life.