Studies on the serum levels of iron, copper and zinc and the urinary excretion of zinc after burn injury.

The levels of iron, copper and zinc in the serum of patients suffering burn injuries were measured. It was observed that serum zinc and copper did not change significantly after burn injury; values lying outside the laboratory's own normal range were rarely observed. There was a considerable increase in the output of zinc in the urine after burn injury. Raised levels of zinc in the urine were not observed until about a week after injury, but after that time highly significant changes occurred. The considerable day-to-day variation in zinc output suggests that a variety of causes give rise to the increased zinc excretion.