Reference Value for Serum Zinc Level of Adult Population in Bangladesh.
Nilima Barman, Marium Salwa, Debabrata Ghosh, Muhammed Waliur Rahman, Nasir Uddin, M Atiqul Haque
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Zinc is an essential trace element that has an enormous role in regulation of physiological processes whose deviant value leads to malfunction in the body. So, establishing a country specific reference value is needed to serve as a standard for the interpretation of laboratory results during clinical decision making. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the reference value of serum zinc level of adult population in Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: percentiles of zinc level were calculated for the reference value according to the recommendations of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). RESULTS: The estimated reference range of serum zinc level in sample population was 60-120 μg/dL, where the range was 59-125 μg/dL for male and 50-103 μg/dL for female. Significant differences of serum zinc level between male and female (p<0.001) was observed. However, there was no significant correlation between age of the respondents and serum zinc level (r=0.110, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The estimated reference range for serum zinc level in adult population of Bangladesh can serve as a useful indicator for clinical decision making.