Assessment of Serum Zinc Status of Children

Objective: Zinc is an important trace element in terms of children being able to grow and develop normally and to be protected from diseases and it is also essential for most of the enzymes to be able to function normally. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the serum zinc status of children who admitted to our hospital. Material and Methods: A total of 88 subjects (61 cases, 27 control) who admitted to our hospital within the past year-aged between 0-48 months and whose serum zinc levels were analyzed included to study. The subjects were divided into two groups according to their diagnosis: patient or case and control group. The patient group consisted of patients who applied to our hospital due to any health problem, whereas the control group consisted of patients who had no health problems. Serum zinc and other electrolytes (Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, Cl) levels and diagnosis of patients were recorded to patient files and statistical analyses were performed. Results: Serum mean levels of Zn and Ca in the case group were lower than those of control group (p=0.011 and 0.013 respectively). There was no significant difference in the serum levels of other electrolytes between the case and control groups. Conclusion: We want to emphasize that measurements of serum zinc levels in children's follow-ups should be done.