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document
Zinc supplementation in alcoholic cirrhosis . A double-blind clinical trial . A double-blind clinical trial with zinc sulfate , 0.2 g three times daily , and a placebo was performed in 30 patients with biopsy-proven alcoholic liver cirrhosis . The disease was in a stable phase , and none of the patients showed evidence of a decompensated liver function . Parameters of liver function , taste acuity , dark adaptation and of zinc and vitamin A metabolism were followed for six weeks . In the zinc-treated group of 16 patients , serum zinc rose from a normal mean value of 13.3 to 17.4 mumol/l , whereas the mean serum vitamin A level remained practically unaltered within the normal range , 1.89 at the entry and 1.83 mumol/l at the end of the study . Plasma prothrombin and serum alkaline phosphatase levels of the zinc group increased and serum bilirubin and serum carotene decreased significantly . The dark adaptation did not change , but the taste function was significantly improved during zinc treatment . The results indicate that zinc supplementation causes alleviation of certain abnormalities of cirrhotics , which deserves further attention .
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Intervention_Pharmacological
Zinc supplementation
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Intervention_Pharmacological
zinc sulfate
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Intervention_Control
placebo
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Intervention_Pharmacological
zinc
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Intervention_Pharmacological
vitamin A metabolism
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Intervention_Pharmacological
zinc supplementation
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Outcome_Physical
Parameters of liver function , taste acuity , dark adaptation and of zinc and vitamin A metabolism
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Outcome_Physical
serum zinc
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Outcome_Physical
mean serum vitamin A level
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Outcome_Physical
Plasma prothrombin and serum alkaline phosphatase levels
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Outcome_Physical
serum bilirubin and serum carotene
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Outcome_Physical
dark adaptation
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Outcome_Physical
taste function
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Participant_Condition
alcoholic cirrhosis
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Participant_Sample-size
30 patients
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Participant_Condition
with biopsy-proven alcoholic liver cirrhosis .