Zinc Supplementation Effective Treatment for Muscle Cramps in Cirrhotic Patients

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Zinc Supplementation Effective Treatment for Muscle Cramps in Cirrhotic

Patients

WESTPORT, Feb 15 (Reuters Health) - Oral zinc sulfate replacement therapy

reduces the frequency and severity of muscle cramps in patients with

advanced liver disease, according to a report published in the February

issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Dr. Marcelo Kugelmas, of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, made the

chance observation that muscle cramp symptoms appeared to improve in liver

transplant patients given zinc supplementation for refractory porto-systemic

encephalopathy. In the present study, he assessed the ability of zinc

sulfate to improve frequency and severity of muscle cramps in cirrhotic

patients with hypozincemia.

Dr. Kugelmas studied five patients with Child's-Pugh category A cirrhosis,

three with category B cirrhosis, and four with category C disease.

Participants completed questionnaires regarding frequency, location, time of

day and severity of muscle cramps, and were then treated with oral 220 mg

zinc sulfate b.i.d. for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study, patients completed the same questionnaire.

According to the article, " zinc supplementation improved cramps in 10/12

patients, and in seven of these patients the cramps completely resolved. "

The only complication occurred in a single patient who suffered mild watery

diarrhea that abated when zinc supplementation was discontinued at the end

of the study.

Dr. Kugelmas notes that this is the first study to suggest a link between

zinc deficiency and muscle cramps in cirrhotic patients. " Given the known

consequences of hypozincemia and the broad benefits of replacing zinc in

this setting, it would make sense to replace zinc in patients with advanced

liver disease who have muscle cramps and hypozincemia, " he writes.

J Am Coll Nutr 2000;19:13-15.

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