Zinc Toxicity

Excerpt

Zinc is a transition metal usually present in nature in its divalent state. It is considered an essential mineral as it is necessary for the production of hundreds of enzymes throughout the body. Daily recommended intake of zinc differs depending on the patient population, and the normal concentration of zinc in serum is 109 to 130 microgram/deciliter. It acts as a cofactor in enzymatic reactions involved in DNA expression, membrane stabilization, vitamin A metabolism, and in the gustatory and olfactory systems. This vast number of functions also contributes to zinc’s importance during fetal growth and development. Additionally, a feature of zinc’s function in the body is its inverse relationship to copper levels, and it is frequently part of the pharmaceutical preparations used in the treatment of Wilson disease. Chronic zinc toxicity manifests primarily as copper deficiency.

Because there are many sources of zinc throughout the environment, exposure and toxicity are not uncommon. There are case reports of toxicity as a result of inhalation from occupational sources, overuse of dietary supplements, use of denture cream, ingestion of pennies secondary to PICA, and erroneously prepared total parenteral nutrition (TPN), to name a few. Some of these cases did have fatal outcomes.