Does zinc deficiency have a role in breath-holding spells?

Childhood breath-bolding spells are a common phenomenon Occurring in healthy population. It is known that iron-deficient anemia may be a factor contributing to breath-holding spells. Because iron and zinc commonly coexist in food, iron deficiency is usually associated with zinc deficiency. This study was undertaken to evaluate the zinc status in 50 breath-holding spell patients. Twelve (24%) of the 50 patients had both zinc and iron deficiencies. Zinc treatment was given orally with a dosage of 2 mg/kg/24 h to 12 zinc-deficient patients. At the end of the 3 months, there was a significant healing in spells in all zinc-deficient patients. Our data suggests that zinc deficiency may play a role in breath-holding spells.