Folic acid and zinc serum levels in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis

Background and aims: Folic acid and zinc (Zn) levels in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) have not been studied further in previous studies Due to limited information about Iranian children, the present study was conducted to assess serum levels of folic acid and Zn in children with CF in the city of Shahrekord. Methods: The present case-control study compared 20 children with CF, referring to Hazrat Rasoul Shahrekord Clinic as the case group and 20 children without CF as the control group. The serum Zn and folic acid levels were determined for both groups using blood samples, and the data were analyzed in SPSS v18 software. Results: The mean serum level of folic acid and the Zn level were 12.42±5.66 and 92.45±24.70 in the case group, as well as 16.81±2.31 and 107.13±6.44 in the control group. There was a significant difference between the serum level of folic acid (P=0.004) and the serum level of Zn (P=0.014) between the two groups. Zn deficiency was observed in five children (25%) in the case group but in none of the control children (P=0.047). No significant difference was found in folic acid deficiency between the groups (P>0.99). Conclusion: Children with CF had lower serum levels of folic acid and Zn than children without CF. The incidence of Zn deficiency in CF children was likely due to limited access to PERT.