TRACE-ELEMENTS AND CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASES

The relationships between chronic liver diseases and trace element (TE ) contents are debated. Particularly, no defined data are available ab out the TE levels in viral liver disease patients with or without maln utrition. In this study we evaluated blood and plasma levels of variou s trace elements in patients with HCV-related chronic liver disease, a t different stages of liver damage (8 patients with chronic hepatitis and 32 with liver cirrhosis) with or without malnutrition. We also stu died 10 healthy volunteers as control group. We found that cirrhotic s ubjects had a significant decrease of blood levels of Zn and Se, indep endently on the nutritional status, whereas plasma levels of Fe were s ignificantly reduced only in malnourished cirrhotic patients. Our data indicate that liver impairment is the main cause of the blood decreas e of Se and Zn levels in patients with non alcoholic liver disease, wh ereas the malnutrition affects Fe levels only.