Effects of omeprazole consumption on serum levels of trace elements.
METHODS
Omeprazole is one of the most frequently prescribed drugs in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It increases the gastric pH and this in turn may change the intestinal absorption of trace elements. This study was conducted to assess the effects of omeprazole consumption on the serum level of trace elements.


METHODS
The studied subjects were selected from the list of patients referred to the gastroenterology department of 5 Azar hospital in Golestan province of Iran for whom omeprazole was prescribed by a gastroenterologist. Blood samples were obtained before (phase I) and after an eight-week period (phase II) of omeprazole consumption. Serum levels of trace elements were assessed by the photometric method.


RESULTS
Sixty seven patients were recruited of whom, 35.82% were males. There was no significant difference in serum levels of Fe, P, Ca and Cu between phases I and II. Serum concentration of Zn was significantly lower in phase II than I (P=0.02). The proportion of male patients with low Zn levels was significantly higher in phase II (50%) than I (16.7%) (P=0.01). We found no significant difference in the proportion of female patients with low Zn levels between phase I (37.2%) and phase II (27.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
We found no significant reduction in serum levels of Fe, P, Ca and Cu in phase II. However, our results showed that serum level of Zn was significantly lower after omeprazole consumption in males. So, nutritional supplement of Zn should be considered in male patients treated with omeprazole.
Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
Hamidreza
H
Joshaghani
Taghi
T
Amiriani
Gholamreza
G
Vaghari
Sima
S
Besharat
Aliasghar
A
Molana
Mohammadtaghi
M
Badeleh
Gholamreza
G
Roshandel
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood
D014131:Trace Elements; D015032:Zinc; D009853:Omeprazole