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Zinc status in polycythaemia
Author(s) -
Simmer K.,
Pearson T. C.,
Wheeler M. J.,
Thompson R. P. H.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
european journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0902-4441
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1987.tb01440.x
Subject(s) - polycythaemia , zinc , medicine , gastroenterology , polycythemia vera , chemistry , organic chemistry
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/10 10 PMN, n = 26; controls 68.9 ± 5.2 μg/10 10 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.