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Essential trace elements are involved in many biological processes for normal cell function including immunological defense against oxidation and infection. Deficiency of these elements generally leads to illness or even death in the general population. Therefore, we investigated the predictive values of trace element status on clinical outcomes in dialysis patients, who are more prone to trace element deficiency.

We enrolled 111 prevalent patients on maintenance dialysis from a Taipei tertiary-care referral hospital and measured serum levels of selenium, copper, and zinc. Patients were followed for 2 years or until death or withdrawal.

Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that patients with diabetes mellitus (HR, 2.162 [95% CI, 1.105–4.232], p=0.024), prior stroke (HR, 3.876 [95% CI, 1.136–13.221], p=0.030), and zinc deficiency (HR, 0.979 [95% CI, 0.966–0 …