A study from Japan examined risk factors for zinc deficiency. The researchers used a study population of 13,100 patients who had reliable data available for zinc levels. Interestingly, associations with zinc deficiency were noted among older adults, males, and inpatients.
Following multivariate analysis, after adjusting for age and sex, there were significant associations with comorbidities, including pneumonitis (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) of 2.959), decubitus ulcer and pressure area (aOR 2.403), sarcopenia (aOR 2.217), COVID-19 (aOR 1.889), and chronic kidney disease (aOR 1.835).
What was particularly interesting to me as a hair specialist were the associations with certain drugs. Patients using the following medications were most likely to develop zinc deficiency: spironolactone (aOR 2.523), systemic antibacterials (aOR 2.419), furosemide (aOR 2.138), antianemic preparations (aOR 2.027), and thyroid hormones (aOR 1.864).