Unexpected Hypozincaemia in a Patient with Discharging Empyema Resistant to Replacement Therapy

    March 2013 in “ BMJ Case Reports
    Lynn Rowbottom, Thomas Mole, Norman B. Roberts
    TLDR Zinc levels remained low despite treatment, likely due to absorption issues.
    A 45-year-old man with severe chronic malnutrition and a massive discharging empyema was found to be deficient in zinc and selenium. Despite a high-calorie diet supplemented with iron, zinc, and selenium, and antibiotic therapy, only selenium levels normalized after 4 weeks, while zinc levels remained low. The patient experienced symptoms such as erythematous skin lesions, hair loss, and reduced wound healing, likely due to zinc deficiency. The study suggested that competition for intestinal absorption of nutrients and the use of a proton pump inhibitor may have hindered the normalization of zinc levels.
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