An Investigation of Drug-intake and Serum Zinc Level in 414 Elderly People Aged 75 Years

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between drugs and serum zinc level in the elderly.
Subjects: 414 persons (223 males and 191 females) born in 1927 (aged 75 years).
Methods: Drug- intake survey and questionnaire on taste were performed. Zinc and copper in serum were measured.
Results: The zinc levels in serum were significantly decreased in subjects who used drugs compared to those who did not use any drugs. Mean zinc levels (μ g/dl): no use of drugs 80.53±13.29; use of 1-4 drugs/subjects 76.19±12.98 (p<0.01); use of over 5 drugs/subjects 76.11±11.23 (p<0.01). The mean number of drugs/subject was 2.6±2.8. A low zinc level of <65, μg/dl was found in 12.6% of the subjects. The questionnaire regarding taste showed that 14.5% of subjects were aware of certain taste disorder.
Conclusion: The serum zinc level significantly decreased with the increase of the number of drugs in use.