Abstract
Background: It is known that patients on hemodialysis (HD) are prone to developing zinc deficiency due to removal of zinc by HD, inadequate dietary intake, and reduced gastrointestinal zinc absorption. However, the prevalence of zinc deficiency in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) has not been well established. Methods: Serum zinc levels were compared between 47 patients on PD and 47 patients on HD matched for age, sex, and duration of dialysis. A serum zinc level < 60 μg/dL was defined as clinical zinc deficiency and a level of 60–80 μg/dL as subclinical zinc deficiency. The prevalence of zinc deficiency and associated clinical factors were determined in both groups. Results: Clinical zinc deficiency was found in 59.6% of the PD group and 70.2% of the HD group (p = 0.391). Subclinical zinc deficiency was found in 40.4% of the PD group and 29.8% of the HD group. Age, body mass index, and serum albumin level were identified as independent predictors of zinc deficiency in the PD group by multivariate analysis. Conclusions: A higher prevalence of clinical and subclinical zinc deficiency was found in patients on PD. The rates were comparable between patients on PD and those on HD after adjustment for confounding factors.
Highlights
Zinc is an essential trace elements known to play a crucial role in cell metabolism, growth, tissue repair, production of neurotransmitters, and inflammation [1,2,3]
Zinc deficiency may be associated with non-specific symptoms or conditions, which are commonly observed in patients on HD, namely, anorexia, dysgeusia, erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA)-resistant anemia, and impaired cognitive function [11,12,13]
There was no significant difference in age, sex distribution, duration of dialysis, cause of ESKD, or medications between the two groups
Summary
Zinc is an essential trace elements known to play a crucial role in cell metabolism, growth, tissue repair, production of neurotransmitters, and inflammation [1,2,3]. It has been reported that zinc deficiency is associated with delayed wound healing and impaired immune function [5,6,7]. It is known that patients on HD are prone to develop zinc deficiency due to removal of zinc by HD, inadequate dietary intake, and reduced gastrointestinal zinc absorption [14,15]. There are few reports on serum zinc concentrations in patients who are undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) [16,17]. It is known that patients on hemodialysis (HD) are prone to developing zinc deficiency due to removal of zinc by HD, inadequate dietary intake, and reduced gastrointestinal zinc absorption. The prevalence of zinc deficiency and associated clinical factors were determined in both groups.
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