Zinc Deficiency and Intestinal Bypass Procedures

Excerpt

To the editor: In the October 1978 issue, Atkinson and associates (1) indicate that zinc deficiency may be a common finding after intestinal bypass procedures. Meyer (2) further suggests that zinc deficiency should be sought in those patients with markedly depressed appetites, especially when associated with dysgeusia. However, the reports by Hambridge and co-workers (3) on apparent zinc deficiency in children from middle- and upper-income families in the Denver area, as well as the review by Sandstead (4), strongly suggest that zinc deficiency may be commoner than previously suspected in otherwise healthy persons.

We have observed that surgery in itself