Adverse effect of antipyretic agent on serum zinc.

To study the pathogenesis of the zinc deficiency that is sometimes found postoperatively, the serum concentration of zinc was determined in 35 patients before, during, and after thoracoabdominal surgery. Preoperatively, a serum zinc level below 60 micrograms per 100 ml was recorded in four of 16 patients tested and was associated with severe anorexia. Postoperatively, the serum zinc level was significantly reduced for up to four days, when the patient was unable to eat. After the start of oral feeding, the average serum zinc level returned to normal. The serum zinc level decreased rapidly in two patients after bouts of severe sweating produced by an antipyretic agent (diclofenac). In another patient, the serum zinc level decreased rapidly following the loss of a large volume of intestinal fluid via an intestinal stoma. Factors leading to low serum concentrations of zinc thus include anorexia, operations, antipyretic agents, and the loss of intestinal fluid.