Abstract
Zinc deficiency may be suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis, control, and severity of asthma because of its antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and antiβinflammatory effects. We aimed to investigate whether there was any relationship between erythrocyte zinc levels and childhood asthma. The erythrocyte zinc levels of 67 asthmatic and 45 healthy children were analyzed in this caseβcontrol study. The mean concentrations of erythrocyte zinc were 1215.8βΒ±β145.1βΒ΅g/dl in asthma patients and 1206.9βΒ±β119.5βΒ΅g/dl in controls with no significant difference (Pβ=β0.472). The erythrocyte zinc level was below 1,000βΒ΅g/dl in 6 asthmatic patients (8.9%) and 2 control group patients (4.4%). There was no relationship between erythrocyte zinc levels and duration of followβup, severity, and control of the asthma (Pβ>β0.05). On the other hand, patients hospitalized for an asthma attack had significantly lower erythrocyte zinc levels compared with nonhospitalized patients and the control group (Pβ=β0.000 and Pβ=β0.004 respectively). This study's findings indicate that asthmatic children are not a risk group for zinc deficiency. We emphasize that checking zinc levels in children who are hospitalized for an asthma attack may be useful. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2011; 46: 1189β1193. Β© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.