[Copper and zinc in cerebrospinal fluid of children with neurological diseases (author's transl)].

We examined CSF copper and zinc concentrations in 30 children with acute febrile illness and meningism (control group) and in 37 patients with shortlasting seizures, febrile or not, and acute viral meningitis. The trace elements were quantitatively measured by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry. 1. It was shown that the concentrations of copper and zinc in CSF remain constant during childhood.--2. No increase could be found in the concentrations of copper and zinc in CSF caused by the neurological diseases of our patients. These data suggest that permanent cerebral lesions as a consequence of shortlasting seizures and viral meningitis would be very unlikely and that a transient dysfunction of metabolism does not liberate copper- and zinc-metallo-proteins in CSF. 3. There was no correlation between the protein concentration in CSF and copper and zinc concentrations in CSF.