Abstract:

Introduction: It is supposed that the serum level of Zinc relates to the cirrhosis.  We conducted this study to assess the serum zinc levels in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods and materials: In this descriptive analytic cohort, 80 patients over 18 years old, mean age 54.23±15.05 with liver cirrhosis referred to Imam Khomeini hospital outpatient’s clinic or hospitalized in the internal ward of this hospital in Ahwaz during 2015 were recruited.  The severity of the disease based on MELD and Child scoring system, encephalopathy, ascites, SBP, serum zinc levels in patients were measured, and the relationship between these variables and zinc serum level was investigated. Results: The mean serum level was 61.36±25.07 and Zn deficiency observed in 22 patients (27. 5%). Regarding the etiology of cirrhosis, viral hepatitis (B, C) was the most common followed by cryptogenic, but the Zn serum level was not significantly different considering etiology of the cirrhosis. Moreover, the Zn serum level was not significantly different between groups with different ascites severity and  Child and MELD scoring system, but the difference was significant between groups with or without SBP and encephalopathy. Using regression test we showed that the correlation of Zn serum level with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis(SBP) and encephalopathy was significant and was not significant with etiology of cirrhosis, ascites and Child and  MELD scoring system. Conclusion; we discovered that Zn serum level in cirrhotic patients was lower than normal range (70micg/dl), moreover we proved that lower concentration of Zn is correlated with encephalopathy and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

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