[Plasma and intraerythrocytic zinc in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis].

The levels of plasmatic and intraerythrocyte zinc in our control group did not show differences in accordance with age or sex. Patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis showed a decrease of plasmatic levels of zinc and an increase of intraerythrocyte zinc level. The patients with ankylosing spondylitis did not show significant variations of zinc levels, even though the patient with increased SR after the first hour (25 mm) showed lower plasmatic zinc with statistical significance. Finally, patients with rheumatoid arthritis in treatment with NSAID, low dose of steroids, gold salts, D-penicilamin, did not show differences compared to the total group of patients with this disease.