Does The Serum Zinc Level Affect the Quality of Life in Dialysis Patients? A Report from Iran

Background: Zinc deficiency is a common finding among ESRD and dialysis patients and may affect their quality of life.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the serum level of zinc and its correlation with the quality-of-life score in dialysis patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 on dialysis patients. Patients’ information and clinical data, their serum zinc levels, and quality of life assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire were collected. The Spearman correlation test was used to assess the correlation between serum zinc levels and the Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) Component Summary scores of the SF-36 questionnaire in general and in different subgroups. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: In the HD group, PCS and MCS scores were significantly correlated (P = 0.0001), while this correlation was not observed in the PD group. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between zinc levels and PCS and MCS scores in the HD group but not in the PD group (P = 0.0001). In the PD group, only age negatively correlated with the PCS score (P = 0.03), without any other significant correlations with other study variables. Multivariate analysis revealed that zinc level was an independent predictor of PCS and MCS scores in the HD group (P 0.001). In the PD group, age (P = 0.02) and zinc level (P = 0.03) were independent predictors of PCS score but not MCS score. Conclusions: There is a positive correlation between serum zinc levels and both the physical and mental aspects of quality of life in dialysis patients.