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Dietary and Nutritional Aspects of Zinc in Critically Ill Adult Patients

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Diet and Nutrition in Critical Care

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Abstract

Zinc is a trace element and an essential micronutrient for physiologic processes in the human body. There are a growing number of medical diseases realized to be associated with zinc deficiency. A patient with one of these diseases is more likely to be zinc deficient upon presentation to the intensive care unit or at increased risk of developing deficiency during their critical illness. In addition, plasma zinc concentration declines early in the course of critical illness secondary to the acute phase response, but delineating who is zinc deficient (i.e., deplete of zinc stores) during that time is not currently possible with routine laboratory tests. The limitations in evaluating zinc status have hindered progress in determining the optimal zinc targets and dosing regimens in patients with critical illness. However, significant knowledge has been gained, in some areas of critical illness (e.g., patients with significant burns), as to the importance of providing zinc support at a time of immense biologic stress. Zinc supplementation guidelines for those patient populations serve as a building block for ongoing research in assessing the role of zinc status in acute critical illness.

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Abbreviations

APR:

Acute phase response

BSA:

Body surface area

Cu:

Copper

CV:

Cardiovascular

DM:

Diabetes mellitus

EDTA:

Edetate disodium

EZ:

Elemental zinc

GI:

Gastrointestinal

HCTZ:

Hydrochlorothiazide

HDL:

High density lipoprotein

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

ICU:

Intensive care unit

IL:

Interleukin

LOS:

Length of stay

mg:

Milligram

Misc:

Miscellaneous

PN:

Parenteral nutrition

RCT:

Randomized clinical trial

RDA:

Recommended Daily Allowance

SCD:

Sickle cell disease

TNF:

Tumor necrosis factor

TPN:

Total parenteral nutrition

USA:

United States

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Medical Center, 201 DHLRI, 473 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Beth Besecker

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  1. Beth Besecker
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Correspondence to Beth Besecker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Free London Hospitals, Barnet General Hospital, London, UK

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  2. Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  3. King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  4. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

  5. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

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Besecker, B. (2015). Dietary and Nutritional Aspects of Zinc in Critically Ill Adult Patients. In: Rajendram, R., Preedy, V.R., Patel, V.B. (eds) Diet and Nutrition in Critical Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7836-2_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7836-2_20

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