Comparative study of serum zinc concentration in recurrent herpes labialis patients and healthy individuals

Abstract

Background Recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is a common recurrent infective vesiculoulcerative disease. Topical and systemic administration of Zinc compounds has been indicated to have preventive and therapeutic effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum level of zinc in the patients with RHL and healthy individuals and also to investigate the correlation of this level with various parameters of the patient and disease course. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 43 patients with a history of recurrent herpers labialis and 42 subjects without any previous experience of the lesion. Blood samples were taken, and serum zinc level was measured using colorimetry (spectrophotometry) method. Chi-Square test was used to compare the qualitative relationships, and for comparing the quantitative relationships, independent T-test was used. To observe the relationship of quantitative factors including serum zinc level, the number of relapses, and recovery rates, correlation test was taken. Results The results show that, serum zinc level has no significant difference between healthy subjects and the patients (p > 0.05). Also, zinc level was not related to age and sex factors and frequency of relapse (p > 0.05). However surprisingly, there was a significant relationship between zinc level and recovery period in the RHL patients. The lower the serum zinc level, the higher the duration of recovery (p = 0.009). Conclusion The results of this study indicate that, zinc deficiency can be considered as a risk factor for increasing the duration of herpes labialis lesions. Therefore, the evaluation of serum zinc level in the subjects with RHL and subsequent administration of zinc are recommended in these kind of patients.

A Review: Zinc as an Antivirus Alternative Treatment for Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

“…Zinc serum is a biomarker to assess a person's zinc status. Salivary zinc levels in patients with RHL were found to be lower than healthy people [13,17].…”

“…Zinc can be found in the prostate gland, testes, semen, bones, teeth, hair, skin, liver, muscles, and leukocytes. Zinc is bound to proteins, both globulins, and albumins [12,[15][16][17]. Zinc intake in adults is around 6 to 15 mg/day or based on the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowances) recommendation of 0.2 mg/kg/day [12,13].…”

“…Zinc deficiency can cause a compromised immune system, which has been proven in animal studies that show thymic atrophy, lymphopenia, and impaired lymphocyte response [13]. The risk of infection increases in underdeveloped countries due to poor sanitation, public health status, and vaccination so zinc nutrition is very important in this group [13,17]. Zinc deficiency affects cell-mediated immunity by reducing the phagocytic activity of macrophages and circulating T cells [13,17].…”

“…The risk of infection increases in underdeveloped countries due to poor sanitation, public health status, and vaccination so zinc nutrition is very important in this group [13,17]. Zinc deficiency affects cell-mediated immunity by reducing the phagocytic activity of macrophages and circulating T cells [13,17]. Zinc serum is a biomarker to assess a person's zinc status.…”

Zinc Therapy in Dermatology: A Review and Update

“…The lower the serum zinc level, the higher the duration of recovery. 14 Dermatophytoses: Al Janabi et al observed xerogel nanoparticles composed of ZnO had antidermatophytic action in specific concentrations. 15 In the study, 30 patients with tinea corporis received topical 10% zinc sulfate solution twice daily for two months, complete cure response was observed in 13 (43.33%) patients, partial response in 7 (23.34%) patients and no response in 10 (33.33%) patients while in placebo group the clinical response was two (6.67 %) patients with partial improvement and 28 (93.33%) patients with no improvement.…”