Zinc status in infantile wheezing.

The increase in prevalence of asthma is strongly dependent on environmental factors, including diet. Significant decreases in the intake of dietary zinc may be an important contributing factor to the increasing incidence of wheezing and asthma, but there have been no studies evaluating zinc levels in wheezy infants. Our objective was to investigate the zinc status of wheezy infants. Wheezy infants (n = 34) and healthy children (n = 14) were included in the study. Total IgE and eosinophil counts were obtained, and skin testing was done with a battery of 25 antigens with appropriate positive and negative controls. Levels of zinc were determined in hair, using a Polarized Zeeman Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Hitachi Z-800). No significant difference was observed in peripheral blood eosinophil counts and total IgE levels among groups (P > 0.05). Hair zinc levels were significantly lower in wheezy infants (P < 0.001). In conclusion, hair zinc levels were lower in wheezy infants than in healthy controls, suggesting that zinc deficiency may influence the risk of wheezing in early childhood.