A zinc acetate hydrate preparation increased serum albumin levels and improved parameters related to renal anemia in hemodialysis patients with zinc deficiency

Abstract

[Objectives] This study retrospectively investigated the distribution of serum zinc levels in hemodialysis (HD) patients and the effects of zinc acetate (ZA) on HD patients with zinc deficiency. [Methods] Sixty-one HD patients with serum zinc levels of <80 μg/dL were orally administered 50 mg/kg of ZA. Their serum levels of zinc, copper, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), and albumin (Alb) were determined. Moreover, the required erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) dose and ESA resistance index (ERI) were also calculated. A survey of the HD patients’ symptoms was performed during the ZA treatment. [Results] Of a total of 143 HD patients, 132 (92.4%) developed zinc deficiency. In 61 HD patients with zinc deficiency, the serum zinc level exhibited a positive correlation with the serum Alb level at the baseline. ZA significantly increased the subjects’ serum zinc, Hb, and Ht levels, and significantly reduced the required ESA dose and ERI. Symptoms related to zinc deficiency, such as loss of appetite and taste disorders, were ameliorated by ZA treatment. [Conclusion] Zinc replacement therapy with ZA might be a useful adjunct treatment for HD patients because it increases their serum Hb levels and red blood cell counts, decreases their ESA doses, and improves their ERI.