Zinc absorption and its correlation with results of oral zinc tolerance testing in nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis; kinetic study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver cirrhosis is often complicated by symptoms of zinc deficiency, i.e., disturbances of taste and smell, skin eruptions, and other symptoms. We evaluated zinc absorption in patients with nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis to clarify the cause of zinc deficiency.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The absorption of zinc was calculated from the results of both the oral and intravenous zinc loading tests.

RESULTS

Absorption was significantly reduced the cirrhotic patients, 20.4 +/- 10.7% as compared with the controls, 38.3 +/- 11.0%. In the cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, it was 17.8 +/- 9.3%, not significantly different from that of cirrhotics without hepatocellular carcinoma, 24.1 +/- 10.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis had no influence on zinc absorption. Because a lower correlation between zinc absorption and the results of oral zinc tolerance testing was observed, the oral zinc tolerance test alone cannot be used as an accurate procedure for evaluating zinc absorption in liver cirrhosis. One should thus use both the intravenous as well as the oral zinc loading test when evaluating zinc absorption.