Serum concentrations of macro and trace elements in heroin addicts of the Canary islands

Na, K, Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Cu, Zn and Se concentrations were determined in the serum of 106 heroin addicts and were compared with the concentrations obtained in a control group formed of 186 apparently healthy individuals. Heroin addicts displayed K and Se mean concentrations lower (p < 0.05), and Na, Mg, P mean concentrations and a Cu/Zn ratio higher (p < 0.05) than those mean values observed in the control group. The Mg and P concentrations in the serum of heroin addicts tended to normalize when age increased. The heroin addicts included in the methadone maintenance treatment program had higher serum mean concentrations of K and Mg than the heroin addicts in the detoxification process. The Na, K and Mg concentrations displayed highly significant correlations, with a different behavior for the heroin addicts group and the control group. When applying factor analysis and representing the scores of the first and second factors, the heroin addicts tended to differentiation from the control group. However, methadone substitution treatment was not able to normalize these concentrations.