Clinical trials and experimental
The role of zinc/creatinine ratio in recognition of metabolic disorders from benign prostatic hyperplasia and chronic prostatitis
Objectives.
A lot of studies documented the role of zinc in the prostate physiopathology, but the results were controversial. The authors analyzed zinc status (serum, urine) in patients with prostates troubles and tried to identify a possible relation between zinc/ creatinine ratio, and the metabolic disorders from benign prostate hyperplasia and non- bacterial chronic prostatitis. 

Material and method.
The study was based on the observational analysis of 22 men with BPH at the first diagnostic, untreated, 35 men with non-bacterial chronic prostatitis and 30 healthy volunteers. In those patients zinc was determined by spectrophotometric method (5-Brom-PAPSmonoreactive). 

Results.
The average value of serum zinc was 73,3±18,1ug/dl in patients with BPH, 82,5±10,9ug/dl in patients with chronic prostatitis and 91,4±11.6ug/dl in control group. In urine there were identified: 665±204ug zinc/24 hours in patients with BPH, 495±135 ug zinc/24 hours in patients with chronic prostatitis and 440±95 ug zinc/24 hours in control group.

Conclusions.
The studied prostatic pathology (BPH, chronic non-bacterial prostatitis), was associated with an  important reduction of serum zinc and an increase of zinc urinary excretion. The existence of a negative relation between serum zinc and PSA and between zinc/creatinine ratio and alkaline phosphatase in patients with BPH suggested a possible correlation between zinc imbalance and the disease severity.