Cobalt and the Heart

Editorials1 February 1969Cobalt and the HeartCARL S. ALEXANDER, M.D.CARL S. ALEXANDER, M.D.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-70-2-411 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIn late 1963 or early 1964 certain brewers in Quebec, Canada, and the United States began adding cobalt to beer in order to stabilize the foam. Within months an epidemic form of fulminating cardiomyopathy recognizably distinct from alcoholic cardiomyopathy and beriberi occurred in Quebec City, Canada (1). Later the syndrome was identified at the Veterans Hospitals in Omaha, Nebr. (2) and Minneapolis, Minn. (3) and in Leuven, Belgium (4). It is impossible to estimate the total number of cases that occurred around the world, but some idea might be gained from the knowledge that about 25% of all the beer...References1. Various authors: Quebec beer-drinkers' cardiomyopathy. Canad. Med. Ass. J. 97: 881, 1967. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. MCDERMOTT PH, DELANEY RL, EGAN JD, and SULLIVAN JF: Myocardosis and cardiac failure in men. JAMA 198: 253, 1966. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. ALEXANDER CS: The syndrome of cobalt-beer cardiomyopathy including ultrastructural changes on biopsy (abstract). Proc. Cent. Soc. Clin. Res. 41: 16, 1968. Google Scholar4. KESTELOOT H, ROELANDT J, WILLEMS J, CLAES JH, and JOOSSENS JV: An enquiry into the role of cobalt in the heart disease of chronic beer drinkers. Circulation 37: 854, 1968. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. SULLIVAN JF, GEORGE R, BLUVAS R, and EGAN JD: Myocardiopathy of beer drinkers. Ann. Intern. Med. 70: 277, 1969. LinkGoogle Scholar6. SULLIVAN J, PARKER M, and CARSON SB: Tissue cobalt content in beer drinkers' myocardiopathy. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 71: 893, 1968. MedlineGoogle Scholar7. WENDT VE, WU C, BALCON R, DOTY D, and BING RJ: Hemodynamic and metabolic effects of chronic alcoholism in man. Amer. J. Cardiol. 15: 175, 1965. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. HALL JL and SMITH EB: Cobalt heart disease. An electron microscopic and histochemical study in the rabbit. Arch. Path. (Chicago) 86: 403, 1968. Google Scholar9. MEESSEN H: Morphological changes in the development of cardiac insufficiency. Presented at the Fifth European Congress of Cardiology, Sept. 13, 1968 in Athens, Greece. Google Scholar10. FERRANS VJ, HIBBS RG, and WEILBAECHER DG: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy: a histochemical and electron microscopic study. Amer. J. Cardiol. 13: 106, 1964. CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. ALEXANDER CS: Idiopathic heart disease. II. Electron microscopic examination of myocardial biopsy specimens in alcoholic heart disease. Amer. J. Med. 41: 213, 1966. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. WEBB M: The biological action of cobalt and other metals. III. Chelation of cations by dihydrolipoic acid. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 65: 47, 1962. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. WIBERG GS, MUNRO IC, and MORRISON AB: Effect of cobalt ions on myocardial metabolism. Canad. J. Biochem. 45: 1219, 1967. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. HOLLY RG: Studies on iron and cobalt metabolism. JAMA 158: 1349, 1955. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. Final Report of the Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into Arsenical Poisoning from the Consumption of Beer and Other Articles of Food or Drink, Part I, Wyman and Sons, Ltd., London, 1903. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: CARL S. ALEXANDER, M.D.Affiliations: Department of Medicine University of Minnesota and Veterans Administration Hospital Minneapolis, Minn. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byImplant metals and their potential toxicityCardiovascular diseaseCobalt oxide nanoparticles induce oxidative stress and alter electromechanical function in rat ventricular myocytesCobalt CardiomyopathyCobalt use and regulation in horseracing: a reviewReview of cobalt toxicokinetics following oral dosing: Implications for health risk assessments and metal-on-metal hip implant patientsEvidence against implant-derived cobalt toxicity: Case report and retrospective study of serum cobalt concentrations in an orthopedic implant populationCardiovascular DiseaseAn arcane cardiomyopathyEffects and blood concentrations of cobalt after ingestion of 1 mg/d by human volunteers for 90 d31-Day Study of Cobalt(II) Chloride Ingestion in Humans: Pharmacokinetics and Clinical EffectsA review of the health hazards posed by cobaltDerivation of a chronic oral reference dose for cobaltDose-Response Relationships For Blood Cobalt Concentrations and Health Effects: A Review of the Literature and Application of a Biokinetic ModelInorganic cobalt supplementation: Prediction of cobalt levels in whole blood and urine using a biokinetic modelInfluence of artificial gastric juice composition on bioaccessibility of cobalt- and tungsten-containing powdersCobaltOccupational ToxicologyAlcohol and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Historical OverviewRE: "ARSENIC EXPOSURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGIC EVIDENCE"Cobalt chloride administration in athletes: a new perspective in blood doping?Cobalt chloride induces delayed cardiac preconditioning in mice through selective activation of HIF-1α and AP-1 and iNOS signalingWine, alcohol and cardiovascular diseasesAlcohol and Cardiovascular DiseasesDraft Toxicological Profile for CobaltAlcohol and Cardiovascular DiseasesAlcohol and Cardiovascular Diseases: An Historical OverviewAdverse Cardiovascular Effects of AlcoholDetermination of trace elements in normal and diabetic whole blood by neutron activation analysisDetermination of Trace Elements in Normal and Diabetic Whole Blood by Neutron Activation AnalysisFood-Associated ToxicantsDisorders of the Heart and Blood VesselsEnvironmentally Related Disorders of the Cardiovascular SystemA comparison of cobalt(II) and iron(II) hydroxyl and superoxide free radical formationCobalt in the Environment and Its Toxicological ImplicationsDevelopmental toxicity of cobalt in the ratInteractions of Food Additives and NutrientsFrequency of concentrations of some trace elements in serum by INAACobaltComparison of the effectiveness of several chelators after single administration on the toxicity, excretion and distribution of cobaltRelationships between trace elements and atherosclerosisChromium, cobalt and lanthanum in lung, liver and kidney tissue from deceased smelter workersCardiovascular Disease and Work Place ExposuresDilated Cardiomyopathies of the AdultThe hypertriglyceridaemia of the cobalt chloride-treated rat: A possible mechanismTrace ElementsCardiovascular disease and environmental exposure.EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMMisuse in Foods of Useful ChemicalsThe Pathology of Experimental Cobalt CardiomyopathyCobaltCobaltForensische ToxikologieTOXIC CHANGES IN MITOCHONDRIAL MEMBRANES AND MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTIONAlcoholic CardiomyopathyAlcoholism and MalnutritionMitochondrial Granules and Dehiscence of the Intercalated Disc in Cobalt CardiomyopathyCobaltUncommon or commonly unrecognized causes of heart failure 1 February 1969Volume 70, Issue 2 Page: 411-413 Keywords Alcoholics Beer Beriberi Cardiomyopathies Heart ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 February 1969 PDF downloadLoading ...