The Prevalence of Zinc Deficiency in Crohn's Disease Patients.

Objective: Zinc is a trace element, which has been related to inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to evaluate the serum zinc levels in Iranian patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Materials and methods:The present study was conducted on 65 CD patients and 65 healthy controls. Serum zinc levels were measured in both patients and controls and compared by age, sex, and site of inflammation between groups. Results: Mean serum zinc level in the study population was 86.2±17.0 ng/dL. The serum zinc level was 88.1±16.7 ng/dL in CD patients and 86.2±17.0 ng/dL in the control group. The difference between groups was not statistically significant (P=0.191). No significant differences were observed in serum zinc levels of males and females (P=0.087). Zinc deficiency was observed in 21.5% and 7.7% of cases and controls, respectively. Compared to the control group, low serum zinc levels were significantly higher in CD patients (P=0.025). Regarding the site of inflammation, neither the concentration of serum zinc (P=0.058) nor zinc deficiency prevalence (P=0.864) were significantly different in cases compared to controls. Conclusion: The prevalence of zinc deficiency was higher in CD patients compared to controls. However, serum zinc concentrations were not significantly different between groups. Age, sex, and site of inflammation were not found to be predictors of zinc deficiency. Evaluating the zinc status of CD patients for possible supplementation in cases of deficiency is recommended.

Liver disease symptoms in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

INTRODUCTION: It seems that there is a relationship between small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of SIBO among NAFLD patients. METHODS: In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 98 eligible NAFLD patients were evaluated for SIBO using hydrogen breath test (HBT). They were divided into SIBO-positive and SIBO-negative groups. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained. RESULTS: Based on the HBT, 38 patients (39%) had bacteria overgrowth. There were no significant differences between SIBO-positive and SIBO-negative regarding demographic data and BMI classification (P > 0.05). Biochemical variables, the results of abdominal ultrasound, and liver elastography did not show any significant difference between SIBO-positive and SIBO-negative patients (P > 0.05). Patients with SIBO were found to have higher rates of bloating, while abdominal pain was more prevalent in SIBO-negative patients (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: SIBO is prevalent in NAFLD and associated with bloating in these patients. Further studies are necessary to elucidate if therapeutic manipulation of gut microbiota reduces the risk of NAFLD, fibrosis, and liver cirrhosis.