Determination of serum Fe~(3+),Mg~(2+) ,Cu~(2+),Zn~(2+) levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B and the associated statistical analysis

Objective:To observe the changes of serum Fe 3+ ,Mg 2+ ,Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B.Methods:Colorimetric method was used to measure the contents of serum Fe 3+ ,Mg 2+ ,Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ in 126 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 130 healthy controls.Results:The serum levels of Fe 3+ ,Mg 2+ and Zn 2+ in patients with chronic hepatitis B were significantly lower than those in the healthy controls( P 0.01).In contrast,the serum Cu 2+ level in patients with chronic hepatitis B was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls( P 0.01).The patients were divided into young age,middle age and old age groups.The results indicate that the serum levels of Fe 3+ ,Mg 2+ and Zn 2+ in the three groups were all lower than those in the controls( P 0.01),but the serum Cu 2+ level was higher than that in the controls( P 0.01).Conclusions:Determination of serum Fe 3+ ,Mg 2+ ,Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ levels is of clinical significance in patients with chronic hepatitis B.It is also useful as a predictor of prognosis.