Zinc level in COVID-19 Infection; Truth or myth? | ||||
| Microbes and Infectious Diseases | ||||
| Article 5, Volume 4, Issue 3, August 2023, Page 735-740 PDF (772.04 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/mid.2023.196286.1478 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Zeinab Abdellatif Soliman   1; Rasha Ahmed Abdalaziz2; Aya Alsharif3; Yasmine Gaber1; Reem Ibrahim Mohamed El-Korashy4; Youssef Mohamed Amin Soliman4; Manal Mohamed Kamal5; Ahmed Hashem6; Hanan Zaghla7; Khaled Salem8; Hala Ramadan 8
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| 1Endemic Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt | ||||
| 2Hepatogastroentrology and Endemic Medicine department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. | ||||
| 3Endemic Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University | ||||
| 4Pulmonary Medicine department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. | ||||
| 5Clinical and Chemical Pathology department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University,Egypt. | ||||
| 6National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt | ||||
| 7Critical Care Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University | ||||
| 8Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: COVID-19 is accompanied by a systemic hyperinflammatory reaction and thromboembolic consequences. Zinc has antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Moreover, zinc deficiency adversely affects immune cells' survival and function. Although it is uncertain if COVID-19 individuals lack zinc, zinc administration is used in treatment. We aimed to determine if there is a change in zinc levels in COVID-19 individuals and the relationship between zinc levels and illness severity and outcome. Methods: Sixty individuals with COVID-19 infection verified by PCR were recruited. Patients' demographics, degree of illness at the time of blood specimen, and prognosis were gathered. The zinc level in serum was measured in the first 72 hours of admission, using a cutoff for normal zinc levels between 70.6 and 114 g/dl for women and 72.6 and 127 g/dl for men. Results: Sixty individuals with an average age of 50.7 + 14.41 years were enrolled in the study; 51.7% were males, 60% were diabetics, 73% had hypertension, and 35% had obesity, where BMI was above 30 kg/m2. Regarding the COVID-19 severity, the percentage was 28.3%, 50%, and 21.7% for mild, moderate, and severe cases, respectively. There was a high prevalence of zinc deficiency; about 87% (n=52) of the patients had below-normal zinc values. The median zinc level was 39.5 (20.5-58) μg/dl. No statistically significant association was observed between blood zinc levels and illness severity or prognosis. Conclusion: Zinc insufficiency might be a risk component for the incidence of COVID-19 infection. Nevertheless, it seems unrelated to the disease course or outcome. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Zinc; SARS-CoV-2; Pneumonia; COVID-19 | ||||
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