Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32837895›Full record

ArticleAdvances in integrative medicine2020

Zinc for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and other acute viral respiratory infections: a rapid review.

Susan Arentz, Jennifer Hunter, Guoyan Yang, Joshua Goldenberg, Jennifer Beardsley, Stephen P Myers, Dominik Mertz, Stephen Leeder

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Advances in integrative medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.

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  9. Micronutrient Deficiency as a Confounder in Ascertaining the Role of Obesity in Severe COVID-19 Infection.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Susan ArentzNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Jennifer HunterNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Guoyan YangNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Joshua GoldenbergHelfgott Research Institute, National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, Oregon, United States.
Jennifer BeardsleyNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Stephen P MyersNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Dominik MertzDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Stephen LeederMenzies Centre for Health Policy, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Western Sydney University · AUNational University of Natural Medicine · USMcMaster University · CASouthern Cross University · AUUniversity of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe global COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an urgent search for interventions to prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2. Higher risk of infection and adverse outcomes coincide with populations with chronic diseases and elderly who are at risk of zinc deficiency. Through several mechanisms zinc may prevent, reduce severity and duration of symptoms.

methodAn a

results118 publications of 1,627 records met the inclusion criteria (35 Chinese and 83 English publications), 32 for prevention, 78 for treatment and 8 for both. Four RCTs specific to SARS-CoV-2 are ongoing; two are investigating zinc for prevention and two for treatment. As of 7 July 2020, no results were available. A wide range of zinc forms, including nasal spray/gel, lozenges, liquid, tablets and intramuscular were investigated.

conclusionCurrently, indirect evidence suggests zinc may potentially reduce the risk, duration and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections, particularly for populations at risk of zinc deficiency including people with chronic disease co-morbidities and older adults. Direct evidence to determine if zinc is effective for either prevention or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 is pending. In the interim, assessing zinc status of people with chronic diseases and older adults, as part of a SARS-CoV-2 clinical work-up, is reasonable as both groups have a higher risk of zinc deficiency/insufficiency and poorer outcomes from SARS-CoV-2.

Indexed as

CoronavirusRapid reviewSARS-CoV-2Zinc

Identifiers

PMID32837895
PMCPMC7395818
OpenAlexW3046565821

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.