Abstract |
Calcifications of the inner elastic membrane are the earliest occurring changes in human arteries, and detectable even in infancy. The pathogenesis of this early form of arterial calcinosis is not explained. It possibly is concerned with a phenomenon similar to calciphylaxis in which exogenous factors such as food and an increased loading with vitamin D sensitize the calcium metabolism for calcium deposits, and local increased mechanical loading of the wall provokes the calcium deposits. Quantitative mineral analyses of the juvenile arterial wall are not yet available. For this reason, the calcium and trace element content of the juvenile arterial wall were determined. The investigations involved the arteries of 43 male and female deceased persons from the current autopsy group, ranging in age from 5 months to 20 years. |