Menkes' Kinky hair syndrome: studies of copper metabolism and long term copper therapy.

A patient with Menkes' kinky hair syndrome was treated with oral CuSO4. Plasma copper, ceruloplasmin, red cell copper, and 24-hr urine copper excretion remained essentially unchanged. Intravenous copper infusion resulted in a rise of serum ceruloplasmin. During administration of a test meal of 64Cu(NO3)2, the patient was given alternately a volume of 0.9% NaCl or an equal volume of plasma intravenously. Radioactivity found in the blood was unchanged after each infusion period. During 427 days of subcutaneous copper, plasma p-phenylenediamine oxidase activity and plasma copper rose toward normal. Subsequent balance studies showed that the patient was in negative copper balance because of large losses in feces. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated persistent pili torti.