Trace elements and giardiasis: A prospective study on the levels of zinc, iron, and copper in healthy children and children with giardiasis

Abstract

Introduction: Giardia lamblia is one of the most common intestinal parasites in humans and one of the four primary growth inhibition factors worldwide. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of giardiasis on children’s growth and the zinc, copper, and iron levels in the blood serum of children with Giardia lamblia infection and also to examine the relationship between the Giardia lamblia infections and mother’s milk consumption. Materials and methods: The study is a prospective case-control research in all Giardia-infected and healthy children referred to Sina Laboratory in Zabol, Iran, from 2016 to 2017. The serum copper and zinc levels were measured and recorded using atomic absorption spectrophotometry; the same was carried out for serum iron, but the obtained values were recorded using chromatography and photometry. The statistical analyses were conducted in SPSS version 18.0 (Chicago, IL, USA), with p ≤ 0.05 as the significance level. Results: The case group included 23 children with giardiasis, and the control group comprised 25 healthy children. The serum iron (48.82 ± 20.2 vs. 75.04 ± 10.72 µg/dL) and zinc (65.91 ± 19.46 vs. 84.08 ± 7.12 µg/dL) levels were significantly lower in children with Giardia lamblia infection compared to their healthy counterparts. At the same time, their serum copper (159.17 ± 31.05 vs. 92.92 ± 14.06 µg/dL) levels were significantly higher compared to the cases. The patients who presented with vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea had significantly higher copper levels (181 ± 14.52 µg/ dL) and lower iron (35.33 ± 6.02 µg/dL) and zinc levels (48 ± 5.29 µg/dL). Under ondan-setron, copper levels significantly decreased (82 ± 4.2 µg/dL). Conclusion: Protozoal intestinal infection is one of the causes of inadequate nutrient uptake among children. Giardiasis caused an increase in the serum copper level and a decrease in the serum zinc and iron levels. The risk of giardiasis was highest among children who were not fed with their mother’s milk compared to partially or entirely breastfed children.