Low serum zinc linked to deterioration of kidney function in diabetes patients

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 27 Jan 2023 2:30 PM | Updated On 28 Jan 2023 7:28 AM

Consideration of zinc deficiency is necessary in patients with overt albuminuria suggests a recent study published in the BMC Nephrology.

In recent years, it has been reported that diabetic patients tend to have a lower zinc intake due to unbalanced diet accompanying changes in lifestyle habits. We investigated serum zinc concentration in diabetic patients according to the stage of nephropathy.

They enrolled 227 diabetic patients (119 men, 108 women, average age 65.7 ± 14.7 [mean ± standard deviation]) who were hospitalized for diabetes treatment due to poor blood glucose control. We investigated the relationship between fasting serum zinc concentration and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, UACR), as well as serum zinc concentration by stage of diabetic kidney disease and chronic kidney disease.

Results

• The mean HbA1c value was 10.5 ± 2.1%. Serum zinc concentration was 75.5 ± 16.0 μg/dL in males and 75.7 ± 12.2 μg/dL in females, showing no gender difference and no significant relationship with diabetes type.

• The serum zinc concentration was negatively correlated with age (r = − 0.309, P < 0.001) and positively correlated with eGFR (r = 0.144, P = 0.030).

• A tendency was observed of serum zinc concentration to decrease after overt nephropathy, with values of 76.4 ± 14.1 μg/dL in pre-nephropathy (stage 1, n = 131), 78.5 ± 13.2 μg/dL in incipient nephropathy (stage 2, n = 65), 66.4 ± 14.3 μg/dL in overt nephropathy (stage 3, n = 25), and 65.7 ± 11.9 μg/dL in kidney failure (stage 4, n = 6).

• Serum zinc showed a negative trend with estimated GFR (P = 0.004) and significant reduction in albuminuria, with stage A3 (n = 29, 65.7 ± 13.9 μg/dL) having lower levels than A1 (n = 131, 76.4 ± 14.1 μg/dL, P = 0.001) and A2 (n = 67, 78.4 ± 13.1 μg/dL, P < 0.001).

In diabetic patients, serum zinc concentration tended to decrease as age increased and also as renal function deteriorated. This study suggests that consideration of zinc deficiency is necessary in patients with overt albuminuria.

Reference:

Kubota, M., Matsuda, S., Matsuda, M. et al. Association of Serum Zinc Level with severity of chronic kidney disease in diabetic patients: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nephrol 23, 407 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-022-03040-x

Keywords:

Kubota, M., Matsuda, S., Matsuda, M, Association, Serum, Zinc, Level, severity, chronic kidney, disease, diabetic patients, cross-sectional study, BMC Nephrology, Serum zinc concentration, Diabetic nephropathy, Diabetic kidney disease, Chronic kidney disease, Estimated glomerular filtration rate, Albuminuria

BMC NephrologySerum zinc concentrationDiabetic nephropathyDiabetic kidney diseaseChronic kidney diseaseEstimated glomerular filtration rat

Source : BMC Nephrology

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751