نبذة مختصرة : Leprosy, a chronic infectious disease, leads to blood mineral imbalances: lowlevels of zinc, calcium, magnesium, and iron and high levels of copper. Interestingly, in late medievalEurope, minerals were used to treat leprosy. We investigated physiological responses to leprosy andpossible evidence of treatment in dental tissues of leprosy sufferers from medieval Denmark andearly 20th century Romania when multidrug therapy was not then yet invented. Using SynchrotronFluorescence (SXRF) and laser ablation (LA-ICP-TOFMS), we show marked covariations in thezinc, calcium, and magnesium distributions, which are compatible with clinical studies but cannotbe directly attributed to leprosy. Minerals used historically as a treatment for leprosy show nodetectable intake (arsenic, mercury) or a diffuse distribution (lead) related to the daily consumptionof contaminated water and food. Intense lead enrichments indicate acute incorporations, potentiallythrough the administration of lead-enriched medication or the mobilization of lead from bone storesto the bloodstream during intense physiological stress related to leprosy. However, comparisons witha healthy control group are needed to ascertain these interpretations. The positive correlations and thepatterns observed between lead and essential elements may indicate underlying pathophysiologicalconditions, demonstrating the potential of the two techniques for investigating diseases in past populations.
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