Estimation of serum zinc and copper in Egyptian patients with pemphigus vulgaris

Background Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune bullous disorder involving the skin and mucous epithelia. The role of nutritional factors in PV has been proved by epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data. Objective To investigate the serum levels of zinc and copper as two important trace elements in patients with PV. Patients and methods This case control study was carried out on 25 patients with newly diagnosed PV and 25 age and sex matched healthy control individuals. In both groups, serum concentrations of zinc, copper, and ceruloplasmin were estimated. Results The results of our study showed that patients had statistically significant lower serum zinc (Po0.003) and copper (Po0.016) and ceruloplasmin levels (Po0.01) than the control group. A statistically significant negative correlation (r= – 0.866, Po0.000) was found between the serum zinc levels and disease severity. Conclusion Our findings indicate that low serum zinc and copper levels are associated with PV in Egyptian patients.