Burden of Zinc (Zn) deficiency: A high volume clinical laboratory data analysis

A cross-sectional survey was done at the Section of Chemical Pathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, AKUH, Karachi, to determine frequency of Zn deficiency, the second major micronutrient deficiency in developing countries, in subjects coming for investigations. Data of plasma Zn, from Jan 2013 to Dec 2014 was analyzed and deficiency was labeled at <65ug/dl. Total 469 subjects were tested for plasma Zn levels over the period of 24 months and complete information was available for 422 subjects, included in final analysis. Median age of subjects was 13 yrs (IQR 7-35) and 57% were male. Mean plasma Zn levels of the total subjects were 105 +/- 42.6ug/dl. Out of the total subjects 13.5% (n=57) had Zn deficiency (mean plasma Zn 52 +/- 11 ug/dl), and most of them were of age group 6-16yrs. These findings advocate that diet of Pakistani children should be revised in order to provide sufficient amounts of Zn.