Abstract
Objective: To describe the range of neurological symptoms in patients with documented zinc deficiency. A case series of 63 patients with documented blood levels of zinc and other micronutrient deficiencies is presented.
Background: Vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies have been frequently described as a cause of neurological symptoms. Accurate diagnosis is important as these conditions are preventable and often treatable. Zinc is an essential trace element that plays vital roles in the nervous system, participating in neuronal metabolism at the molecular and cellular levels. Zinc plays a role in over 300 enzymatic reactions and biochemical processes supporting life including cellular respiration, maintaining cell membrane integrity, free radical scavenging and DNA production. Zinc deficiency has been previously reported as a potential cause of neuropsychological symptoms and peripheral neuropathy, but literature on this topic is sparse. We present a case series of zinc deficiency with documented zinc blood levels.
Design/Methods: 63 patients presenting with diverse neurological symptoms including; headache, paresthesias and peripheral neuropathy underwent zinc and other micronutrient measurements and were found to be deficient in zinc and several other micronutrients. The deficiencies were corrected and patients were clinically followed along with blood levels of the micronutrients.
Results: All patients experienced improvement on their symptomatology after replacement to high normal values as measured by blood levels, with most recovering fully. There were no documented adverse effects due to micronutrient replacement.
Conclusions: Zinc and micronutrient deficiencies could be related to some common neurological symptoms, its presentation might be more frequent than estimated in industrialized countries. The feature recognition of its presentation as well other potential micronutrient deficiencies is key to effectively manage these patients. A complete nutritional assessment might be helpful in customizing therapies in neurology. Further evaluation of zinc and other micronutrient deficiencies may be helpful in establishing effective, inexpensive and easily tolerated therapeutic plans.
Disclosure: Dr. Achari has nothing to disclose. Dr. Escamilla-Ocanas has nothing to disclose. Dr. Amjadi has nothing to disclose.
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