Effect of Oral Zinc Therapy on Gonadal Function in Hemodialysis Patients

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Abstract
Zn deficiency may account for the persistence of gonadal dysfunction in a majority of uremic men despite adequate dialysis. Stable patients (20) having hemodialysis 3 times/wk completed a double-blind trial using either 50 mg of elemental Zn as zinc acetate (10 patients) or placebo (10), orally. At the end of the 6-mo. study period, a significant increase in the mean plasma Zn (75 .+-. 2 to 100 .+-. 2 .mu.g/dl; P < 0.001), serum testosterone (2.8 .+-. 0.3 ng/dl to 5.2 .+-. 0.5 ng/ml, P < 0.001) and sperm count (30 .+-. 3 to 63 .+-. 5 million/ml; P < 0.001) occurred in the Zn-treated group, but not in those receiving the placebo. The Zn-treated group also had a significant fall in serum luteinizing hormone (92 .+-. 10 to 49 .+-. 26 mIU/ml, P < 0.005) and FSH (45 .+-. 9 to 25 .+-. 7 mIU/ml, P < 0.05) not seen in the placebo group. Patients receiving Zn had an improvement in potency, libido and frequency of intercourse not found in the placebo group. Evidently, Zn deficiency is a reversible cause of gonadal dysfunction in patients having regular hemodialysis.

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