[The role of and changes in the copper and zinc levels and the activity of their related metalloenzymes in the blood of patients with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis during chemotherapy].

Patients in acute phase of destructive pulmonary tuberculosis experienced a considerable rise in the activities of ceruloplasmin and carboangidrase as well as in the content of copper and zinc. In so far as destructive pulmonary tuberculosis is concerned, the therapeutic results were far from being gratifying. Loss of copper and zinc arising in the organism rapidly lead to a depletion of the latter and deficiency of trace elements, which fact may, in its turn, disturb the work of the compensatory-defense mechanisms. This warrants correction of the above trace elements in the organism of a patient with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis.