[Plasma and erythrocyte zinc concentrations in elderly patients with and without senile cataract in a tertiary eye care center at Teresina-Piauí].
OBJECTIVE
To determine plasma and erythrocyte zinc concentrations in elderly with and without senile cataract in a tertiary eye care center at Teresina-Piauí.


METHODS
A quantitative, transversal and controlled study was developed at the Hospital de Olhos Francisco Vilar, Piauí, Brasil. Fifty-six elderly subjects (37 females, 19 males) with no known conditions that modify zinc blood levels or increase risk of cataract were included. A score >II was used to define cataract, according to Lens Opacities Classification System II. Plasma and erythrocyte zinc concentrations were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Statistical tests included Student's t and chi-square tests, with a probability level of 0.05 as significant.


RESULTS
Senile cataract was present in 58.9% of the subjects. The most common type was nuclear (51.8%), followed by cortical (26.8%) and posterior subcapsular (8.9%). Zinc deficiencies in plasma (<70 microg/dL) and erythrocyte (<40 microg/gHb) were found in 49.1% and 30.4% of participants, respectively. There were no significant differences between elderly with or without cataract, regardless of type, in relation to plasma (p=0.165) or erythrocyte (p=0.426) zinc concentrations.


CONCLUSIONS
Zinc deficiency in plasma or erythrocyte were common among the elderly. However, the data suggest that no significant differences exist between elderly with or without senile cataract, regardless of type, in relation to the referred parameters of zinc evaluation.
Soares
Fábio Martins
FM
Universidade Estadual do Piauí e pós-graduando, Nível Mestrado, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, PI, Brasil. fabiosoares@msn.com
Nogueira
Nadir do Nascimento
Ndo N
Marreiro
Dilina do Nascimento
Ddo N
Carvalho
Cecília Maria Resende Gonçalves de
CM
Monte
Semiramis Jamil Hadad do
SJ
Moita Neto
José Machado
JM
Rocha
Viviane de Sousa
Vde S
Cardoso
Bárbara Verônica Sousa
BV
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood*
D015032:Zinc