Ripa S, Ripa R
Istituto di Clinica Medica Generale, Università degli Studi, Ferrara.
Minerva Med. 1995 Jun;86(6):275-8.
It is frequent in the elderly a zinc deficit, for many causes, which frequently occur in old age. Mineral deficit cause humoral and cellular immunity depression, with large increase of susceptibility to infections and increase of morbidity and mortality; besides it increases the proteinic malnutrition so frequent in old people. This condition is particularly presented in surgical patients and in patients undergoing total parenteral nutrition, when not specifically zinc supplemented. The evaluation of plasmatic zinc for diagnostic aims is scarcely significant, because hypoproteinemia (above all, hypoalbuminemia) is constantly present in old people: more useful and important is the leucocytic mineral evaluation, particularly in polymorphonuclear neutrophils. The average of recommended daily allowance of zinc is 15 mg for elderly people.
老年人因多种常见于老年期的原因而经常出现锌缺乏。矿物质缺乏会导致体液免疫和细胞免疫抑制，易感性大幅增加，感染几率以及发病率和死亡率也会上升；此外，它还会加重老年人中常见的蛋白质营养不良。这种情况在外科手术患者和接受全胃肠外营养的患者中尤为明显，前提是未特意补充锌。出于诊断目的对血浆锌进行评估意义不大，因为老年人中始终存在低蛋白血症（尤其是低白蛋白血症）：更有用且重要的是对白细胞矿物质进行评估，特别是对多形核中性粒细胞的评估。老年人锌的每日推荐摄入量平均为15毫克。
