Zinc status in polycythaemia

Zinc and iron status have been measured in three groups of polycythaemic patients managed by venesection: polycythaemia rubra vera, secondary polycythaemia and idiopathic erythrocytosis. Zinc status was assessed from the concentration of zinc in polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and plasma. The mean PMN zinc value was lower than that of age-matched controls (polycythaemics 57.5 ± 2.3 ±g/1010 PMN, n = 26; controls 68.9 ± 5.2 μg/1010 PMN, n = 9; means ± SEM, p < 0.05). The difference was most marked in polycythaemia rubra vera; the patients were iron-deficient. The reduced PMN zinc levels may indicate that polycythaemic patients managed by repeated venesection are zinc-deficient. This may contribute to some nonspecific symptoms of polycythaemia and to recurrent infections in the hypoxic patients.