comparison of serum levels of copper and zinc among multiple sclerosis patients and control group.

background: there have  been  several studies  done  on the role of metals in the occurrence  of multiple sclerosis (ms) disease, but their roles have not been confirmed yet. because of the lack of information on this issue, this study compared  the  serum  level  of  copper and zinc in ms patients with their levels in a control group. methods: this  was  an  analytical,  cross-sectional  study conducted in  kerman (a  medium   size  city),  iran.  we assessed  the  serum  level of copper  and  zinc in 58 ms patients  and  39 healthy individuals, who were selected from the relatives of cases and matched  for age and sex. results: the average  serum level of copper in cases and controls   were 93.7 and 88.9 ml/dl, respectively. the corresponding numbers for zinc were 36.7 and 40.9 ml/dl, respectively.there was no significant difference between the two groups (copper: p = 0.459; zinc: p = 0.249). conclusion: the groups  were matched  for age, sex, and family. however, we did not find a considerable difference between the  level of these  metals  in ms patients  and controls.