Zinc, Serum or Plasma

Overview:

Monitor exposure to zinc; evaluate suspected nutritional inadequacy, especially in enteral or parental nutrition, critically ill or burn patients; cases of diabetes or delayed wound healing; growth retardation; follow therapy, for example when higher intravenous zinc doses are used to balance excessive ongoing GI losses in long-term total parenteral nutrition; follow oral zinc therapy in Wilson's disease; confirm acrodermatitis enteropathica and follow therapy.

Levels may be low in fever, sepsis, estrogen therapy, stress, or myocardial infarction, reflecting mobilization from serum to the liver by interleukin. Levels are usually low in uremia with normal tissue levels. Levels may be high in familial hyperzincemia without toxicity or high zinc stores.

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by LabCorp. It has not been cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Chronic oral zinc supplementation interferes with copper absorption and may precipitate copper deficiency. Albumin is the primary zinc binding protein: zinc levels should be interpreted with awareness of serum albumin level.

Alfrey AC. Essential trace elements. In Seldin DW, Giebisch G, eds. The Kidney: Physiology and Pathophysiology. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Raven Press Ltd;1992:2993-3003.

Ruz M, Cavan KR, Bettger WJ, et al. Development of a dietary model for the study of mild zinc deficiency in humans and evaluation of some biochemical and functional indices of zinc status. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991; 53(5):1295-1303. PubMed 2021137