Serum zinc and urinary zinc excretion after renal allotransplantation

In nine kidney-transplanted patients, receiving prednisone as part of the immunosuppression, serum zinc and urinary zinc excretion were measured for a period of 5-7 weeks after the transplantation. Serum zinc decreased significantly from normal pretransplant values to subnormal vaues 1-5 days after the transplantation. Thereafter, the serum zinc rose again, and after 2-3 weeks, before start of reduction of prednisone, the serum zinc had risen to a level that was not significantly lower than the pretransplant level. Urinary zinc excretion was generally elevated, especially just after the transplantation. In patients with initially good kidney function function the zinc clearance to creatinine clearance ratio was significantly higher during the first week after the transplantation than in the rest of the observation period. Similar findings have been reported after major surgery, and no correlation between serum zinc and the corticosteroid dose was demonstrable. Therefore, in renal allotransplantation, no special supplementation of zinc seems necessary beyond what may be justified by the effect of the surgical trauma.