Zinc deficiency correlates to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with cirrhotic ascites

Background Zinc deficiency in patients with liver cirrhosis has been frequently studied. Although spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is one of the most serious complications of liver cirrhosis, few studies addressed the relationship between zinc deficiency and SBP. Aim This study aims to detect the effect of zinc deficiency in the development of SBP in patients with liver cirrhosis. Patients and methods The current study included 306 patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites who underwent diagnostic paracentesis for exclusion of SBP during admission to the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Ain Shams University Hospital, Egypt. Of these, 79 patients diagnosed with SBP by means of ascitic fluid polymorph nuclear leukocytic count more than or equal to 250 cells/mm 3 were assigned to group 1. The remaining 227 patients with cirrhotic ascites were assigned to group 2. Routine laboratory tests, in addition to, serum zinc concentrations were assessed in all patients. Results Patients with SBP showed lower serum zinc in comparison to patients with cirrhotic ascites (49.11±11.84 vs. 79.27±9.58 μg/dl) with a statistically significant difference between the two study groups ( P <0.001). Conclusion Zinc deficiency might be related to the development of SBP in patients with cirrhotic ascites.