Study of the Correlation of Ca, Mg, K, and Na Concentrations with the Blackfoot Disease by the Comparison of the Hair from Inhabitants with Blackfoot Disease and Inhabitants without Blackfoot Disease in Hyper Endemic Villages in Taiwan

Blackfoot disease (BFD) is a local endemic disease that prevails in the southwest coastal areas of Taiwan. From a pathological point of view, BFD is a chronic peripheral vascular atherosclerosis obliterans disease affecting the lower limbs. This study compared the calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium concentrations found in the hair of hyper endemic village BFD patients (n=123), and in the hair of inhabitants without BFD (n=39) by using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Analysis revealed, when compared to the hyper endemic village inhabitants without BFD, BFD patients have a higher mean calcium concentration (p<0.05), but a lower mean magnesium concentration (p<0.05) and a lower mean potassium concentration (p<0.01) in hair. In addition, we found BFD patients have a higher ratio of [Ca/Mg] (p<0.05), but have a lower ratio of [K/Na] (p<0.01) in hair. From this point of view, we hypothesize the lower mean concentrations of magnesium and potassium and the higher mean calcium concentration may have certain correlation with the BFD. Furthermore, this assumption may be used to explain why some of the hyper endemic village inhabitants can avoid the BFD. However, it needs further investigation.