Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36678211›Full record

Observational studyNutrients2023

Association of Serum Zinc and Inflammatory Markers with the Severity of COVID-19 Infection in Adult Patients.

Abdulaziz Saad Almasaud, Jamal Chalabi, Abdulmajid Al Arfaj, Ali Al Qarni, Ammar Alkroud, Zuheb Nagoor, Sana Akhtar, Jahangir Iqbal

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Nutrients, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 21% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Serum zinc level independently predicts need for inpatient intubation among patients hospitalized with COVID-19: A prospective observational study.Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · 2026
    Observational
  2. Article
  3. Coordination chemistry suggests that independently observed benefits of metformin and ZnBiometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2024
    Article
  4. Observational
  5. Review
  6. Zinc and selenium status in coronavirus disease 2019.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2023
    Review
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 1 institution in 1 country.

Abdulaziz Saad AlmasaudKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Jamal ChalabiKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulmajid Al ArfajKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Ali Al QarniKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-2413-6637
Ammar AlkroudKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Zuheb NagoorKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Sana AkhtarKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Jahangir IqbalKing Abdulaziz Hospital, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center-Eastern Region, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-9021-2271
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences · SA

Funding

King Abdullah International Medical Research Center RA20/027/A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

COVID-19 infection can spread in the host body without any adequate immune response. Zinc is an essential trace element with strong immunoregulatory and antiviral properties and its deficiency might lead to inflammation and oxidative stress. The aim of the current study was to determine the association of serum zinc and inflammatory markers with the severity of COVID-19 infection. This was a prospective observational study in which 123 COVID-19-positive adult patients and 48 controls were recruited. The initial comparative analysis was conducted between COVID-19 patients and controls. COVID-19-positive patients were further divided into three different groups (mild, moderate, and severe) based on the severity of COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 patients showed significantly lower serum zinc levels (8.8 ± 2.3 µmol/L) compared to healthy controls (11.9 ± 1.8 µmol/L). There was a negative correlation between serum zinc levels and the severity of COVID-19 infection (r = −0.584, p < 0.0001) and this effect was independent of age (r = −0.361, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, inflammatory markers showed a positive correlation with the severity of COVID-19 infection and a negative correlation with the levels of serum zinc. The study demonstrated an association between COVID-19 infection with low serum zinc levels and elevated inflammatory markers. Further studies to assess the significance of this observation are needed, which may justify zinc supplementation to mitigate the severity of COVID-19 infection.

Indexed as

COVID-19Trace ElementsAdultHumansInflammationSARS-CoV-2ZincTrace ElementsZincCOVID-19inflammatory markersSARS-CoV-2viral infectionzinc

Identifiers

PMID36678211
PMCPMC9861200
OpenAlexW4315566355

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.