Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Abstract

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract. The rise in asthma and allergic disease among children is a matter of worldwide concern. Many authors have argued that the changes in diet may have been an important determinant of increased susceptibility to asthma. Free radicals have been proposed to be responsible for the pathogenesis of many diseases because of their harmful effects on the cells and tissues. The enzymes responsible for antioxidant defense have trace elements like zinc. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between bronchial asthma and zinc serum level, and the relation between serum zinc level and the duration and severity of asthma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A Case control study was conducted at Raparin pediatric teaching hospital in Erbil city. Fifty children from ages 1 to 12 years of both sexes who were known cases of asthma and had visited Raparin teaching hospital were enrolled in this study, another sample of 50 healthy children matched for age and gender, without history of chronic disease were taken as a control group. The zinc concentrations in serum were measured in both cases and controls. RESULTS: This study shows that there were significant difference in the values of serum zinc between asthmatic and control group (p<0,01 and p<0,01 respectively).The mean concentrations of zinc are lower in asthmatic children(70.02μg/dl) in comparison to controls(84.04μg/dl).
CONCLUSION: Children with bronchial asthma have a great risk of zinc deficiency, and serum zinc level has significant relation to the severity of asthma and the use of steroid