Iron, copper, cadmium, zinc and magnesium contents of urinary tract stones and hair from men with stone disease.

Forty-seven urinary tract stones consisting of 5 pure magnesium ammonium phosphate (subgroup 1), 5 mixed calcium oxalate-magnesium ammonium phosphate (subgroup 2), 8 mixed calcium oxalate-calcium phosphate (subgroup 3), 6 mixed calcium oxalate-uric acid (subgroup 4) and 23 pure calcium oxalate stones (subgroup 5) and hair from these patients and control subjects were analyzed for iron, copper, cadmium, zinc and magnesium content by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Mean values +/- SD for each group were determined and statistical correlations were made to establish differences among the stone elements themselves, the hair elements themselves, and the stone and hair elements for group 5 (calcium oxalate stone group). We found significant differences among the element levels of the stones, patient hair and control hair. In particular, hair magnesium and cadmium levels of control and patient groups appear to have promising features for future work concerning urinary tract stone disease.