慢性肝疾患患者における血清亜鉛値の検討

抄録

Serum zinc levels decrease in patients with chronic liver diseases owing to the increase in urinary excretion and malabsorption from the intestine.

Zinc deficiency in patients with chronic liver diseases is associated with liver dysfunction, fibrosis, cytopenia, and malnutrition. However, its frequency and criteria for treatment remain unknown. Furthermore, its symptoms are not always related to the degree of serum zinc levels and it is not always noticed by the patients themselves.

Thus, for patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis accompanied with zinc deficiency, detailed medical interview and appropriate zinc supplementation are important.