Zinc in hair and urine of paediatric patients

Zinc concentrations in hair and urine were measured in groups of children varying in one condition - short stature, or after prolonged upper respiratory infection, or during non-infectious diarrhea, or while on chemotherapy for acute lymphatic leukaemia and in healthy controls. As compared with controls, hair zinc was significantly low after respiratory infection ( p < 0.0001) and high in short stature ( p < 0.01). Urinary zinc was increased during initial chemotherapy ( p < 0.001) and diarrhea ( p < 0.02). It is shown that zinc deficiency occurs in one of the common symptoms in paediatric medicine, namely upper respiratory tract infection. The high overlap (34–88%) proves hair and urine zinc to be of no use for reliable individual diagnostic statements.