Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium in Hair from Neonates with Cystic Fibrosis and in Amniotic Fluid from Mothers of Such Children

Abstract

The concentration of Na, K, Ca, and Mg in amniotic fluid from mothers who have borne children with cystic fibrosis, is similar to that of normal women. Scalp hair of neonates with cystic fibrosis contains significantly elevated concentrations of sodium and potassium. Nearly all of the calcium and 80% of the magnesium in the hair of these patients may be extracted by washing or boiling the hair in water, whereas only a small fraction of the calcium and magnesium of the hair of healthy infants is water soluble. The increased or decreased solubilities of calcium complexes have been previously observed in various tissues of patients with CF. The inability of hair from patients with CF to bind calcium and magnesium may be related to the basic defect in this disease.