Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients grouped by Zn levels.
| All | Low-Zn group | High-Zn group | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 312 | 160 | 152 | |
| Demographic characteristic | ||||
| Age (years) | 69.5±14.4 | 69.8±14.4 | 69.2±14.4 | 0.72 |
| Male (%) | 165 (52.9) | 88 (55.0) | 77 (50.7) | 0.50 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.9±4.6 | 22.6±4.4 | 23.3±4.8 | 0.21 |
| Comorbidity | ||||
| Hypertension (%) | 262 (84.0) | 132 (82.5) | 130 (85.5) | 0.54 |
| DM (%) | 138 (44.2) | 69 (43.1) | 69 (45.4) | 0.73 |
| Dyslipidemia (%) | 136 (43.6) | 59 (36.9) | 77 (50.7) | 0.017 |
| Cardiovascular disease (%) | 124 (39.7) | 68 (42.5) | 56 (36.8) | 0.36 |
| Nephrotic syndrome (%) | 47 (15.1) | 37 (23.1) | 10 (6.6) | <0.001 |
| Chronic liver disease (%) | 40 (12.8) | 22 (13.8) | 18 (11.8) | 0.74 |
| Bowel disease (%) | 4 (1.3) | 1 (0.6) | 3 (2.0) | 0.36 |
| Cancer (%) | 79 (25.3) | 41 (25.6) | 38 (25.0) | 1.0 |
| Medication | ||||
| ARBs or ACE inhibitors (%) | 143 (45.8) | 64 (40.0) | 79 (52.0) | 0.041 |
| Diuretics (%) | 210 (67.3) | 121 (75.6) | 89 (58.6) | 0.002 |
| Zinc-containing drugs (baseline) (%) | 8 (2.6) | 1 (0.6) | 7 (4.6) | 0.033 |
| Zinc-containing drugs (whole period) (%) | 94 (30.1) | 62 (38.8) | 32 (21.1) | 0.001 |
| Laboratory measurement | ||||
| Zn (μg/dl) | 59.6±14.6 | 48.2±8.4 | 71.6±9.3 | <0.001 |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 2.32 (1.36, 4.22) | 2.55 (1.50, 4.45) | 1.98 (1.25, 3.90) | 0.032 |
| eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m2) | 20.3 (10.5, 35.1) | 18.2 (9.5, 33.3) | 22.7 (11.7, 38.3) | 0.046 |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 0.24 (0.09, 1.16) | 0.39 (0.12, 1.82) | 0.18 (0.08, 0.48) | <0.001 |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 3.2±0.8 | 2.8±0.8 | 3.6±0.6 | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 9.8±1.9 | 9.3±1.7 | 10.3±1.9 | <0.001 |
| Dipstick proteinuria (≥1+) (%) | 216 (69.2) | 115 (71.9) | 101 (66.4) | 0.33 |
Continuous variables are shown as the mean ± SD or median (interquartile range). Categorical variables are shown as n (%). Abbreviations: Zn, serum zinc; BMI, body mass index; DM, diabetes mellitus; ARBs, angiotensin II receptor blockers; ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; CRP, C-reactive protein.