Impact of anti-tuberculosis therapy on plasma zinc status in childhood tuberculosis.

This study compared plasma zinc levels in 15 children with active pulmonary tuberculosis, 15 malnourished children and 15 healthy children. Mean plasma zinc concentrations in children with tuberculosis (71.7 microg/dL) were not significantly different than the other 2 groups (72.5 and 76.9 microg/dL). The zinc status of the children with tuberculosis was evaluated after 2 months and 4 months of DOTS therapy. The serum zinc level during anti-tuberculosis therapy decreased after 1 month and then recovered to the initial level after 4 months of treatment.