Description
The test monitors the exposure to zinc and evaluates suspected nutritional inadequacy, especially in enteral or parental nutrition, critically ill or burn patients. The test can also be used in 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
Limitations: 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. 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.