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Article: "Myelodysplasia," Myeloneuropathy, and Copper Deficiency/In reply
- Article from:
- Mayo Clinic Proceedings
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Jan 2006. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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To the Editor: In the July 2005 issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Kumar et al1 described a woman with anemia, leukopenia, and lower limb weakness suspected of having myelodysplastic syndrome. Oral therapy with copper (8 mg/ d) was initiated. Within several months, the patient's peripheral blood cell counts had normalized; within 6 months, her weakness had resolved. A diet low in copper may have been contributory.
The Western diet often is low in copper,2 according to pooled data of more than 900 diets analyzed chemically and summarized in several articles. Recently, 62% and 36% of diets of 80 randomly selected adults in Baltimore, Md,3 were below the recommended dietary allowance (0.9 ...