• Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Nov 2020

    Observational Study

    COVID-19: Poor outcomes in patients with zinc deficiency.

    • Dinesh Jothimani, Ezhilarasan Kailasam, Silas Danielraj, Balaji Nallathambi, Hemalatha Ramachandran, Padmini Sekar, Shruthi Manoharan, Vidyalakshmi Ramani, Gomathy Narasimhan, Ilankumaran Kaliamoorthy, and Mohamed Rela.
    • Institute of Liver Disease and Transplantation, Dr. Rela Institute and Medical Centre, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India. Electronic address: dinesh.jothimani@relainstitute.com.
    • Int. J. Infect. Dis. 2020 Nov 1; 100: 343-349.

    BackgroundZinc is a trace element with potent immunoregulatory and antiviral properties, and is utilized in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, we do not know the clinical significance of serum Zinc levels in COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical significance of serum zinc in COVID-19 patients and to establish a correlation with disease severity.MethodsThis was a prospective study of fasting zinc levels in COVID-19 patients at the time of hospitalization. An initial comparative analysis was conducted between COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. COVID-19 patients with zinc deficiency were compared to those with normal zinc levels.ResultsCOVID-19 patients (n = 47) showed significantly lower zinc levels when compared to healthy controls (n = 45): median 74.5 (interquartile range 53.4-94.6) μg/dl vs 105.8 (interquartile range 95.65-120.90) μg/dl (p < 0.001). Amongst the COVID-19 patients, 27 (57.4%) were found to be zinc deficient. These patients were found to have higher rates of complications (p = 0.009), acute respiratory distress syndrome (18.5% vs 0%, p = 0.06), corticosteroid therapy (p = 0.02), prolonged hospital stay (p = 0.05), and increased mortality (18.5% vs 0%, p = 0.06). The odds ratio (OR) of developing complications was 5.54 for zinc deficient COVID-19 patients.ConclusionsThe study data clearly show that a significant number of COVID-19 patients were zinc deficient. These zinc deficient patients developed more complications, and the deficiency was associated with a prolonged hospital stay and increased mortality.Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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    This article appears in the collection: Does zinc have antiviral activity?.

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