Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 8, Issue 2 93-97, Copyright © 1989 by American College of Nutrition

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Transient partial growth hormone deficiency due to zinc deficiency

Y. Nishi, S. Hatano, K. Aihara, A. Fujie and M. Kihara
Department of Pediatrics, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital, Japan.

We present here a 13-year-old boy with partial growth hormone deficiency due to chronic mild zinc deficiency. When zinc administration was started, his growth rate, growth hormone levels, and plasma zinc concentrations increased significantly. His poor dietary intake resulted in chronic mild zinc deficiency, which in turn could be the cause of a further loss of appetite and growth retardation. There was also a possibility of renal zinc wasting which may have contributed to zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency should be carefully ruled out in patients with growth retardation.

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