Several studies showed the role of trace elements in the increase in human susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases. Carotid artery stenosis is a leading cause of ischemic neurological events. We aimed to analyze the potential role of trace elements in hair as biomarkers of atherosclerotic carotid artery disease. Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven (n = 31 (54%) men and n = 26 (46%) women) individuals with a mean age of 67.7 ± 7.7 years who were white, European, non-Hispanic, and non-Latino were diagnosed and treated in hypertensiology/internal medicine and surgical departments over three consecutive months. Of these patients, forty were diagnosed with advanced carotid artery disease, and seventeen comprised a group of healthy controls. Inflammatory and oncological diseases were exclusion criteria. Hair samples were collected, and 14 trace elements were analyzed. Clinical and laboratory data were compared and revealed differences in the co-existence of diabetes (p = 0.036) and smoking history (p = 0.041). In the multivariable analysis, zinc, chrome, and copper revealed predictive value for the occurrence of carotid artery disease, and their combined receiver operating curve showed area under the curve of 0.935, with a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 82.4%. Conclusion: Our report shows the significance of trace elements analyses in patients with advanced carotid artery disease. We revealed that zinc, copper, and chrome concentrations are of particular importance in differentiating atherosclerotic disease and may serve as biomarkers of carotid atherosclerosis. Hair samples represent an easily obtained and beneficial biomatrix for the assessment of biomarkers.
Keywords: biomarker; carotid artery stenosis; chrome; copper; trace; zinc.