Serum zinc levels in pelvic inflammatory disease.

Serum zinc concentrations in 47 patients with acute pelvic inflammatory disease were compared with those of 50 women in a control group. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the white cell count and acute-phase protein (alpha 1- and alpha 2-globulin) values were used to confirm or exclude infection among the patients studied. All these values differed significantly in the control and study groups. The mean zinc level in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease was 0.725 +/- 0.154 micrograms/ml and that in the control group 0,862 +/- 0.117 micrograms/ml. This difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.001).