M. Hocke et al., ZINC CONCENTRATION IN SERUM AND LEUKOCYTES IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology, 9(2), 1995, pp. 112-116
In connection with inflammatory diseases of various origins an increas
ing amount of research has been directed towards trace elements, in pa
rticular zinc. However, proving changes in the zinc concentration of o
rganisms or single cells still encounters major methodological difficu
lties. This is also probably the reason why many of the research findi
ngs to be found in current publications still significantly differ fro
m one another. The present study utilizes a novel leucocyte-preparatio
n method, which proved to be very reliable as regards the constancy of
measured values. Thus, results obtained in 1989 which show a signific
ant decrease in leucocyte zinc concentrations of patients with Crohn's
disease were confirmed (1) as well as extended to the clinical pictur
es of Colitis ulcerosa and chronic pancreatitis of ethylic origin by s
tudying a group of patients. Significant changes in serum zinc levels
could not be proved. There was also no correlation between the leucocy
te zinc concentrations and the serum zinc concentrations, on the one h
and and the clinical parameters C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte
sedimentation rate (ESR), body weight, humeral muscle area as well as
activity of the disease, on the other.