Zinc

Zinc is a naturally occurring mineral. Zinc is important for growth and for the development and health of body tissues.

Zinc sulfate is used to treat and to prevent zinc deficiency.

Zinc sulfate may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Zinc is an essential nutritional requirement and serves as a cofactor for more than 70 different enzymes including carbonic anhydrase, alkaline phosphatase, lactic dehydrogenase, and both RNA and DNA polymerase. Zinc facilitates wound healing, helps maintain normal growth rates, normal skin hydration, and the senses of taste and smell.

Zinc resides in muscle, bone, skin, kidney, liver, pancreas, retina, prostate and particularly in the red and white blood cells. Zinc binds to plasma albumin, α2-macroglobulin, and some plasma amino acids including histidine, cysteine, threonine, glycine, and asparagine. Ingested Zinc is excreted mainly in the stool (approximately 90%), and to a lesser extent in the urine and in perspiration.

Providing Zinc helps prevent development of deficiency symptoms such as: Parakeratosis, hypogeusia, anorexia, dysosmia, geophagia, hypogonadism, growth retardation and hepatosplenomegaly.

The initial manifestations of hypoZincemia in TPN are diarrhea, apathy and depression. At plasma levels below 20 mcg Zinc/100 mL dermatitis followed by alopecia has been reported for TPN patients. Normal Zinc plasma levels are 100 ± 12 mcg/100 mL.

None known.

Single intravenous doses of 1 to 2 mg Zinc/kg body weight have been given to adult leukemic patients without toxic manifestations. However, acute toxicity was reported in an adult when 10 mg Zinc was infused over a period of one hour on each of four consecutive days. Profuse sweating, decreased level of consciousness, blurred vision, tachycardia (140/min), and marked hypothermia (94.2° F) on the fourth day were accompanied by a serum Zinc concentration of 207 mcg/dl. Symptoms abated within three hours.

Hyperamylasemia may be a sign of impending Zinc overdosage; patients receiving an inadvertent overdose (25 mg Zinc/liter of TPN solution, equivalent to 50 to 70 mg Zinc/day) developed hyperamylasemia (557 to 1850 Klein units; normal: 130 to 310).

Death resulted from an overdosage in which 1683 mg Zinc was delivered intravenously over the course of 60 hours to a 72 year old patient.

Symptoms of Zinc toxicity included hypotension (80/40 mm Hg), pulmonary edema, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, and oliguria, with a serum Zinc level of 4184 mcg/dl.

Calcium supplements may confer a protective effect against Zinc toxicity.

Zinc 1 mg/mL (Zinc Chloride Injection, USP) is supplied in 10 mL Plastic Vials (List No. 4090).

Store at 20 to 25°C (68 to 77°F). [See USP Controlled Room Temperature.]

Revised: October, 2004

 

©Hospira 2004        EN-0488        Printed in USA

HOSPIRA, INC., LAKE FOREST, IL 60045 USA

Applies to zinc sulfate: oral capsule, oral tablet

Typical daily doses range widely from 12 to 150 mg daily as free zinc or up to 220 mg as zinc sulfate. Avoid high-dose, long-term zinc supplementation.

None identified.

Zinc is an essential trace element necessary for normal human functioning. It serves as an enzyme cofactor and protects cell membranes from lysis caused by complement activation and toxin release. Zinc is not stored in the body; therefore, dietary intake is required. Meat and seafood are rich in zinc. 1 , 2 The role of zinc in human health and functioning has primarily focused on dietary supplementation for the promotion of health and disease prevention. Aside from dietary zinc supplementation, zinc has been studied for therapeutic use in the common cold, atopic eczema, psoriasis, acne vulgaris, degenerative retinal lesions, age-related macular degeneration, inflammatory bowel disease, and various other disorders. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8

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