Serum zinc and magnesium as trace elements in pediatric and adult patients with chronic liver disease

Background Zinc and magnesium are essential components of the human body and are involved in over 300 enzymatic processes. The majority of trace element metabolism is largely regulated by the liver. Metabolic diseases are often caused by levels of certain trace elements, such as magnesium and zinc, either being too high or too low. Therefore, administering or reducing these trace minerals can alleviate liver dysfunction and metabolic diseases. Objective Assessing how serum zinc and magnesium relate to chronic liver disease (CLD) in pediatric and adult patients, also evaluating their correlation with clinic-laboratory variables. Patients and methods A total of 140 participants categorized into 80 CLD patients (20 patients without cirrhosis and 60 patients with cirrhosis) and 60 patients as controls. The Child–Pugh classification was used to further classify cirrhotic patients. Blood samples were taken from all participants to investigate the complete blood count, liver function test, serum level of zinc, and magnesium. Results Serum zinc and magnesium were considerably reduced in CLD patients compared with the control group; their levels also decreased as Child–Pugh score increased in severity. Serum zinc at a cutoff value of less than or equal to 70.5 mcg/dl had 80% sensitivity, 68.7% specificity, 71.9% positive predictive value, 77.46% negative predictive value, and 74.38% accuracy, while serum magnesium at a cutoff value of less than or equal to 1.72 mg/dl had 81.7% sensitivity, 77.5% specificity, 78.4% positive predictive value, 80.87% negative predictive value, and 79.58% accuracy for predicting the presence of CLD. Conclusion Patients with CLD frequently have deficiencies in zinc and magnesium, therefore, it is important to periodically check their levels, especially in those with liver cirrhosis.