Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with zinc deficiency: analysis of a nationwide Japanese medical claims database.

ABSTRACT: Zinc deficiency, affecting more than 2 billion people globally, poses a significant public health burden due to its numerous unfavorable effects, such as impaired immune function, taste and smell disorders, pneumonia, growth retardation, visual impairment, and skin disorders. Despite its critical role, extensive large-scale studies investigating the correlation between patient characteristics and zinc deficiency still need to be completed. We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional observational study using a nationwide Japanese claims database from January 2019 to December 2021. The study population included 13,100 patients with available serum zinc concentration data, excluding individuals under 20 and those assessed for zinc concentrations after being prescribed zinc-containing medic

SUBMITTER: Yokokawa H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10837122 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature