[Pathobiochemistry of mineral and trace elements. II. Copper concentration in the whole blood and serum of pregnant women and newborn (author's transl)].

Following a description of the biochemical and pharmacodynamic significance of copper metabolism, we report on the kinetics of copper in the whole blood and in the serum using as subjects 158 gravid women during pregnancy and of 468 pregnant women and their neonates following birth. Be obtained the following findings: 1. The copper level increases slightly in the whole blood and significantly in the serum during the 20-40 weeks of pregnancy in both normal and pathological pregnancies. 2. Copper shows contrary kinetic behaviour during the entire pregnancy as compared with the corresponding zinc values. 3. The sequence of copper metabolism is identical in primiparas as well as multiparas. 4. Blood groups of pregnant women are without influence on the copper level. 5. The rhesus factor does not change the kinetics of copper in the whole blood and the serum of pregnant women. 6. It could not be ascertained with sufficient certainty whether the Apgar values correlate with copper concentrations. 7. In contrast to the mothers, a considerably lowered copper level could be ascertained in the whole blood of newborns; the extent of copper deficiency is considerably greater in male neonates than in female neonates. 8. Toxicosis of pregnancy does not correlate with the copper concentration in the whole blood or serum of mother and child.