[Trace elements (zinc, copper, manganese) in alcoholic cirrhosis: effect of chronic alcoholism]

The authors studied the influence of alcohol intake and liver disease in the disturbances of trace elements detected in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. A determination of zinc, copper and manganese was carried out in the serum, the 24 h urine and a liver sample in 15 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, 11 chronic alcoholics and 17 control subjects. In the serum of cirrhotic patients, zinc was significantly decreased, copper and manganese significantly increased. In the liver, zinc was decreased and copper increased, but the difference did not read significantly. The elimination of zinc in urine was increased and that of manganese decreased. In the chronic alcoholic patients only the serum zinc was decreased. Chronic alcoholism seemed to be therefore one of the factors responsible for low serum zinc in patients with alcoholic liver disease.