Study of Serum Zinc Level in Patients with Peptic Ulcer Disease

Abstract

This a case control study carried out on 50 dyspeptic patients (case group) selected from outpatient clinic of Tropical medicine department, Ain Shams University Hospital and 25 healthy subjects (control group). Case group was assessed by clinical examination, laboratory investigation, upper GIT endoscopy and H.pylori infection by rapid urease test, serum zinc was evaluated in both case and control group. The mean age of patients in case group was (mean±SD = 40±12), they were 24 male (48%) and 26 female (52%). The most common presenting symptom in our study was epigastric pain on 50 patients (100%). The most common endoscopic feature in stomach was diffuse gastritis represented in 44%. The goal of study was to assess the possible protective role of serum zinc in patients with symptoms of peptic ulcer disease in comparison to healthy subjects. We found that: There was a highly significant correlation between serum zinc level and different gastric endoscopic findings (p-value <0.01), the decrease in serum zinc level was directly proportionate to the severity of the mucosal injury. There was a significant correlation between serum zinc level and different duodenal endoscopic findings (P-value <0.05) and the decrease in serum zinc level was directly proportionate to membrane injury. There was no statistically significant correlation between the serum zinc level and H.pylori infection (P- value >0.05). There was no significant correlation between H.pylori infection and endoscopic findings in esophagus, stomach and duodenum (P-value >0.05).