Low Serum Zinc and Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis in Patients with HCV-Related Liver Cirrhosis

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

Background: A serious and common consequence in cirrhotic liver patient is spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), it means infection of ascitic fluid with unknown operationally treatable etiology in the abdomen. The body contains one of the most prevalent trace elements, zinc (Zn), which is important for growth and development.
Objective: To investigate the relationship between low serum Zn levels and SBP development in HCV-related cirrhotic liver patients.
Patients and Methods: The study was done on fifty patients with HCV related cirrhotic liver suffering from ascites. Half of them without SBP, classified as group (A), and the other half with SBP on the basis of ascitic fluid polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytic count of ≥250 cells/μL in the absence of subsequent peritonitis, no matter the culture results of the ascitic fluid, classified as group (B).
Results: The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet count, and white blood cells (WBCs) were significantly different between the two research groups (P<0.001, =0.016, =0.03 respectively). Ascitic fluid PMN count increased significantly in SBP group, which means statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (P<0.001). Serum zinc levels was significantly lower in group B than group A [63.1 µg/dL (46-95) vs 84.79 µg/dL (65-130); P<0.001]. With 0.860 as area under the curve (AUC), serum zinc was significant at a threshold level of ≤70 µg/dL with a sensitivity of 84 percent and 64 percent specificity for predicting SBP.
Conclusion: Serum zinc levels in cirrhotic individuals with HCV who had been diagnosed with SBP were found to be considerably low.
 

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The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine
Volume 91, Issue 1
April 2023
Pages 5196-5200

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