scholarly journals A Case-Control Study for the Effectiveness of Oral Zinc in the Prevention and Mitigation of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio M. Gordon ◽  
Patrick C. Hardigan

Background: The ongoing coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic (caused by an infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus (CoV-2) has put a burden on the medical community and society at large. Efforts to reduce the disease burden and mortality over the course of the pandemic have focused on research to rapidly determine age-stratified seroepidemiologic surveys, a centralized research program to fast-track the most promising rapid diagnostics and serologic assays, and the testing of potential anti-viral agents, immunologic therapies, and vaccine candidates. Despite the lack of official recognition for the role of nutrition in the fight against COVID-19 infection, multiple groups proposed zinc supplementation as an adjuvant for the management of participants.Method: In an ambulatory, interventional, prospective, single-blind study, we evaluated the effectiveness of zinc supplementation in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 in two similar participant groups. In Clinic A (n = 104) participants were randomized to receive 10 mg, 25 mg, or 50 mg zinc picolinate daily, and Clinic B control participants paired according to their demographics and clinical parameters (n = 96). All participants were compared based on demographics, clinical comorbidities, blood counts, renal functions, vitamin D levels, and their development of symptomatic COVID-19 infection.Results: Symptomatic COVID-19 infection was significantly higher among the control group participants (N = 9, 10.4%) than the treatment participants (N = 2, 1.9%), p = 0.015. The unadjusted odds ratio indicates that symptomatic COVID-19 infection was 5.93 [95% CI: 1.51, 39.26] higher in the control group, p < 0.01. Controlling for co-morbidities, individuals in the control group were 7.38 (95% CI: 1.80, 50.28) times more likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19 infection as compared with individuals in the treatment group (p < 0.01). For every-one unit increase in the number of co-morbidities, the likelihood of developing symptomatic COVID-19 infection increased 1.57 (95% CI: 1.16, 2.19) (p = 0.01).Discussion: The findings from our study suggest that zinc supplementation in all three doses (10, 25, and 50 mg) may be an effective prophylaxis of symptomatic COVID-19 and may mitigate the severity of COVID-19 infection.Conclusion: Zinc is a relatively inexpensive mineral nutrient that is an effective prophylactic agent to prevent and mitigate the potentially deadly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with a lag in vaccinations in some regions and the continued emergence of dangerously infectious variants of SARS-CoV-2, it is important to replicate our data in other populations and locations and to engage public health and nutrition services on the emergent need to use zinc supplantation or fortification of staple foods in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 infection severity.

Author(s):  
Aya Hallak ◽  
Malhis Mahmoud ◽  
Yaser Abajy Mohammad

The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with acute coronary syndrome in comparison with normal individuals and study the correlation between these two conditions. We measured the plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH-D) levels in 60 patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) of both gender and in 30 age matched control individuals of both gender without any known cardiovascular or systemic diseases. The levels of 25-OH-D were measured by ELISA method and the results were statically analyzed to find out any possible correlation. We classified the cases according to their plasma 25(OH)D levels. 25(OH)D levels of ≥ 30 ng/ml were considered normal, levels < 30 and > 20 ng/ml were classified as insufficient, while levels of ≤ 20 ng/ml were classified as deficient. In the current study the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in the patients group was much higher than it was in the control group. Vitamin D deficiency was observed in 80% and insufficiency in 13% of total patients of ACS, there by bringing the total count to 93%. Whereas only 7% of the patients had adequate vitamin D levels. Thus, these results indicate the existence of a significant correlation between the vitamin D deficiency and ACS in comparison to healthy controls


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
I Re Heo ◽  
Ho Cheol Kim ◽  
Tae Hoon Kim

Background and Objectives: preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) is a common spirometric pattern that causes respiratory symptoms, systemic inflammation, and mortality. However, its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its associated factors remain unclear. We aimed to identify these HRQOL-related factors and investigate the differences in HROOL between persons with PRISm and those with normal lung function. Materials and Methods: we reviewed the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2008 to 2013 to evaluate the HRQOL of persons with PRISm, as measured while using the Euro Quality of Life-5D (EQ-5D) and identify any influencing factors. PRISm was defined as pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) <80% predicted and FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (FEV1/FVC) ≥0.7. Individuals with FEV1 ≥80% predicted and FEV1/FVC ≥0.7 were considered as Controls. Results: of the 27,824 participants over the age of 40 years, 1875 had PRISm. The age- and sex-adjusted EQ-5D index was lower in the PRISm group than in the control group (PRISm, 0.930; control, 0.941; p = 0.005). The participants with PRISm showed a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (p < 0.001), diabetes (p < 0.001), obesity (p < 0.001), low physical activity (p = 0.001), ever-smoker (p < 0.001), and low income (p = 0.034) than those in the control group. In participants with PRISm, lower EQ-5D index scores were independently associated with old age (p = 0.002), low income (p < 0.001), low education level (p < 0.001), and no economic activity (p < 0.001). Three out of five EQ-5D dimensions (mobility, self-care, and usual activity) indicated a higher proportion of dissatisfied participants in the PRISm group than the control group. Conclusions: the participants with PRISm were identified to have poor HRQOL when compared to those without PRISm. Old age and low socioeconomic status play important roles in HRQOL deterioration in patients with PRISm. By analyzing risk factors that are associated with poor HRQOL, early detection and intervention of PRISm can be done in order to preserve patients’ quality of life.


2021 ◽  
pp. 20-33
Author(s):  
V. O. Belash ◽  
A. E. Vorobyova ◽  
D. A. Vasyukovich

Introduction. Back pain is not only a high prevalence, but also a costly health problem. That is why the search for new and the optimization of existing methods of dorsopathies treatment acquire an important clinical and medico-social significance. In recent years, the medical community has increased the interest in non-drug methods of treatment, including osteopathy. Previous studies have substantiated the possibility of effective application of osteopathic correction methods in the treatment of patients with dorsopathies. A specific object of the osteopath′s work is somatic dysfunction (SD). And if earlier SD was perceived from the standpoint of purely biomechanical disorders, then in recent years there have been serious changes in understanding the heterogeneity of this state nature. The biomechanical, rhythmogenic and neurodynamic components are conventionally distinguished in the structure of SD. One of the neurodynamic disorders types is the violation of motor stereotypes, the so-called static-dynamic disorders, revealed through special dynamic tests and manifested in the functional impossibility of building of active movement at various levels. At the same time, the generally accepted biomechanical approaches do not allow to completely eliminate violations of the statodynamic stereotype.The goal of research — the study was to research the effectiveness of the osteopathic approach using in combination with kinesitherapy for correction of the statodynamic stereotype violations in patients with dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level.Materials and methods. A controlled randomized prospective study was conducted on the basis of a private rehabilitation center «Ezramed-Clinic» in Omsk in the period from February 2019 to December 2019. 52 patients with a diagnosis of dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level were observed. 12 people were knocked out during the study in accordance with the exclusion criteria. As a result, 40 patients participated in the study. Depending on the applied treatment method, the patients were divided by simple randomization into two groups (main and control), each of which consisted of 20 people. Both groups of patients received osteopathic correction three times with a frequency of receptions 1 time in 7–10 days. The main group of patients additionally independently performed daily for 10 minutes a set of exercises aimed to restore the disturbed motor stereotypes (normal synkinesis). The control group of patients additionally independently performed a set of exercise therapy for the cervical spine every day for 10 minutes. All patients, regardless of the group, underwent an osteopathic examination before and after treatment with the formation of an osteopathic conclusion; the severity of pain syndrome and the volume of active movements in the cervical spine were assessed. The severity of the pain syndrome and the range of active movements were assessed before and immediately after treatment, as well as 3 months after the first session.Results. The use of osteopathic correction in conjunction with kinesitherapy (both special exercises and a complex of exercise therapy) in patients with a diagnosis of dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level leads to a statistically significant increase in the range of motion in the cervical spine in the sagittal and frontal planes (p<0,05). The combination of osteopathic correction together with exercise therapy in patients of the control group led to a statistically more significant increase (p<0,05) in the range of motion in the cervical spine in the frontal plane after treatment compared with the results of the main group. However, 3 months after treatment, the indicators in patients of both groups did not have statistically significant differences.The combination of osteopathic correction in conjunction with kinesiotherapy in the form of special exercises for the motor stereotype correction in the main group of patients with diagnosed dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level led to a statistically significant (p<0,05) decrease in the intensity of the pain syndrome at the 2nd session.Conclusion. In order to increase the effectiveness of treatment, osteopathic correction of somatic dysfunctions in patients with dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level can be supplemented with complex kinesitherapy, both in the form of traditional exercise therapy, and in the form of special exercises for correction of altered motor stereotype.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-323
Author(s):  
Ritika Gujrati ◽  
Krishnendra Varma ◽  
Ujjwal Kumar

Psoriasis is an immuno-mediated chronic systemic disease involving cytokines of helper Th1 pathway. Vitamin D has an effect on keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation and immune modulation of immune system especially Th1 pathway, which is altered in psoriatic skin suggesting that Vitamin D may have a role in pathogenesis of psoriasis. To study correlation between psoriasis vulgaris and serum vitamin D. To evaluate serum vitamin D level in psoriasis cases and in control group and correlating vitamin D level with severity and duration of the psoriasis. 57 cases (&#62;15years of age) with psoriasis and 57 healthy subjects were recruited. Psoriasis was clinically diagnosed and severity evaluated by PASI scale. Vitamin D was analysed by enhanced chemilumine scence on vitrus Eci autoanalyzer of Orth clinical diagnostic. Vitamin D deficiency defined as &#60;20ng/ml, insufficiency 20-30ng/ml and sufficient 30-100ng/ml. Vitamin D deficiency in the study was 22.8% in patients and 14% in control group. Vitamin D insufficiency was found in 42.1% of cases and 19.3% of control. According to chi-square the p-value is 0.003 showing significant association. There was a tendency towards decrease in vitamin D level with increase in disease duration. There was negative correlation between vitamin D and PASI score. The study found a significant relationship between vitamin D and psoriasis. Further metanalysis involving larger study population will be required to establish whether vitamin D levels benefits patient with psoriasis vulgaris.


2013 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Demir ◽  
U. Uyan ◽  
S. Keçeoçlu ◽  
C. Demir

Vitamin D deficiency actives renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) which affects cardiovascular system. Activation of RAAS is associated with pulmonary hypertension (PHT). Relation between vitamin D deficiency and PHT could be therefore suggested. In  our study we compared pulmonary artery pressure between vitamin D deficiency and control groups. 115 consecutive patients (average age: 61.86 ± 5.86) who have detected very low vitamin D (vitamin D levels < 10 ng/ml) were enrolled. 117 age matched persons (average age: 61.74 ± 5.99) were selected as the control group. All groups underwent transthoracic echocardiography. Routine biochemical measurement of 25-OH vitamin D and parathormon (PTH) levels were performed. Baseline characteristics of the study groups were comparable. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) of patients in  the low vitamin D group was higher than the control groups. As a  result our study, a  relation between vitamin D deficiency and pulmonary artery hypertension was revealed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Reena Sood ◽  
Gursharan Singh Narang ◽  
Harnoorjit Kaur Brar ◽  
Amanjeet Kaur Bagga

Background: Transient tachypnea of newborn (TTN) is a common cause of respiratory distress in newborns with estimated incidence of 1-2% of all newborns. Although a self-limiting transient condition but it may cause severe morbidities. This study was conducted to find association of serum vitamin D levels in neonates who develop TTN as compared to normal healthy neonates.Methods: With thorough history with structured questionnaire and lab tests, serum vitamin D levels of 45 neonates who develop TTN were compared with 56 healthy neonates in control group.Results: Out of 45 neonates who develop TTN 39(86.7%) were deficient in vitamin D as compared to control group where 33(58.9%) out of 56 healthy neonates were deficient in vitamin D.Conclusions: Lower vitamin D levels at birth in term neonates is associated with increased risk of developing TTN and vitamin D may have a role in its pathogenesis. 


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244823
Author(s):  
Macarena Silva ◽  
Carmen G. Montes ◽  
Andrea Canals ◽  
Maria J. Mackenna ◽  
Marcelo Wolff

Introduction It has been estimated that between 15% and 18% of patients who start antiretroviral therapy (ART) do not achieve a successful immune recovery despite complete virological suppression. In the literature this phenomenom is known as poor immune recovery or immunovirological discordance (IVD). Zinc has an immunomodulatory role associated with T lymphocytes and its supplementation could enhance immune recovery. Objective To determine if zinc supplementation on IVD patients prevents immune failure after 12 months of supplementation. Secondary objectives were to determine serum zinc levels in HIV patients with and without IVD and the frequency of hypozincemia in discordant patients. Method We reviewed the historical record of patients under care at Arriarán Foundation. Following inclusion criteria were defined: 1) age ≥ 18 years, 2) standard ART (three effective drugs) for at least 18 months, 3) virologically suppressed for 12 months, 3) persistence of CD4 count ≤200 cells/mm3 and/or increase ≤ 80 cells/mm3 after one year of viral undetectability. A control group was assigned paired 1:1 by sex, age (± 2 years) that did achieved an increase of CD4> 350 cells/ mm3. In both groups plasma zinc levels were determined. In a later phase, patients with IVD were randomized to receive zinc (15 mg daily) versus placebo. Patients were followed for 12 months with CD4 count, viral load and zinc levels determinations every 4–6 months. Results A total of 80 patients, 40 patients with IVD criteria and 40 controls were included. 92.5% were men, and age average was 47.5 years. The median baseline CD4 was 189 cells/mm3 (71–258) in the cases vs. 552.5 cells/ mm3 (317–400) in the control group with a median increase at the end of the study of 39 cell/mm3 and 19 cell/mm3 respectively. There was no difference in baseline plasma zinc levels between both groups (81.7 + 18.1 in cases versus 86.2 + 11.0 in controls). In the 40 patients with IVD, the median absolute increase in CD4 after annual zinc supplementation was 31.5 cells/mm3 in the treated group versus 50 cells/mm3 in the placebo group, this difference being statistically not significant (p = 0.382). Conclusions Patients with IVD have plasma zinc levels similar to those who achieve adequate immune recovery. Zinc supplementation in IVD patients showed a statistically non-significant difference in in CD4 levels between cases and controls. The results warrant a comparative study with a larger number of patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aysegul Alpcan ◽  
Serkan Tursun ◽  
Yaşar Kandur

Abstract Several studies have demonstrated that higher levels of vitamin D are associated with better prognosis and outcomes in infectious diseases. We aimed to compare the vitamin D levels of paediatric patients with mild/moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease and a healthy control group. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were hospitalised at our university hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19 during the period between 25 May 2020 and 24 December 2020. The mean age of the COVID-19 patients was 10.7 ± 5.5 years (range 1–18 years); 43 (57.3%) COVID-19 patients were male. The mean serum vitamin D level was significantly lower in the COVID-19 group than the control group (21.5 ± 10.0 vs. 28.0 ± 11.0 IU, P < 0.001). The proportion of patients with vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group than the control group (44% vs. 17.5%, P < 0.001). Patients with low vitamin D levels were older than the patients with normal vitamin D levels (11.6 ± 4.9 vs. 6.2 ± 1.8 years, P = 0.016). There was a significant male preponderance in the normal vitamin D group compared with the low vitamin D group (91.7% vs. 50.8%, P = 0.03). C-reactive protein level was higher in the low vitamin D group, although the difference did not reach statistical significance (9.6 ± 2.2 vs. 4.5 ± 1.6 mg/l, P = 0.074). Our study provides an insight into the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 for future studies. Empiric intervention with vitamin D can be justified by low serum vitamin D levels.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Şükrü Güngör ◽  
Can Acıpayam

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to compare the mean platelet volume (MPV) and plateletcrit (PCT) and vitamin-mineral levels in pediatric celiac disease patients with the healthy control group and to compare the results with the literature. METHODS: In this study, clinical and laboratory data of 80 pediatric patients diagnosed with celiac disease (CD) between July 2017 and December 2018 and 42 healthy children in the same age group were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of age and gender (p=0.383, and p=0.462, respectively). The frequency of anemia, folate, iron and vitamin D deficiencies was higher in celiac patients compared to the control group (p=0.001, p=0.027, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). When the patients were evaluated according to their complete blood count and vitamin-mineral levels; hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), ferritin and vitamin D levels were found to be significantly lower in the CD group compared to the control group (p<0.001, p=0.026, p<0.00, and p=0.001, respectively). Platelet (PLT), PCT, MPV levels were found to be significantly higher in the CD group compared to the control group (p=0.010, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). We found a weakly negative correlation between the vitamin D levels and the degree of the Marsh classification (r: -0.273, and p=0.023). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our study have shown that MPV, PCT values are higher and Hb, folate, iron and vitamin D levels are lower in patients with CD compared to healthy controls. We recommend investigating other nutrient deficiencies besides iron deficiency, especially in treatment-resistant anemias. We think that the correlation between vitamin D levels and the degree of histological damage should be elucidated with larger-scale and more comprehensive studies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilek Dilli ◽  
Nazan Neslihan Doğan ◽  
Utku Arman Örün ◽  
Murat Koç ◽  
Ayşegül Zenciroğlu ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveIt is suggested that folic acid and/or multivitamins, taken periconceptionally, have a role in the prevention of many congenital anomalies. The aim of this study was to determine the serum micronutrient levels in mother–infant pairs with CHD compared with those with healthy newborns and their mothers.MethodsSerum levels of folic acid, homocysteine, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 were measured from 108 newborns with CHD (study group) and 103 healthy newborns (control group). The mothers’ micronutrient levels were also measured simultaneously.ResultsWhen compared with healthy newborns, for both maternal and neonatal data, homocysteine and zinc levels were higher and vitamin D levels were lower in the study group. In multivariate analysis, only maternal high zinc levels were associated with CHD in the newborns (p=0.02, OR: 0.9, 95% CI 0.8–0.9). The results did not change when analysed for truncal anomalies including truncus arteriosus, tetralogy of Fallot, and d-transposition of great arteries. There were positive correlations between maternal and neonatal levels of micronutrients, except vitamin B12.ConclusionWe thought that high homocysteine and zinc levels and low vitamin D levels in mother–infant pairs might have a role in the aetiopathogenesis of CHD. Large-scale, prospective studies are needed to clarify the role of micronutrients in CHDs.


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