SynthesisPloS one2025
Oral zinc sulphate reduces the recurrence rate and provides significant therapeutic effects for viral warts: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Distribution of Toxic and Essential Elements in Autopsy Organs of Subjects Living in South-Eastern Poland.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Trace Elements in Post-Mortem Tissues: A Review of Current Evidence and Forensic Challenges.Toxics · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Zinc plays a crucial role in maintaining immune balance in the human body. Zinc is believed to substantially affect cytokine synthesis and signaling; thus potentially combating viral infections, including Human Papillomavirus infection, through various mechanisms. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated whether oral zinc sulphate can improve viral warts; however, no comprehensive data is currently available. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of oral zinc sulphate for the treatment of viral warts. On July 1, 2024, we performed an extensive database search on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Initially, 952 studies were identified, and after screening, 7 studies were included in the final analysis. Our findings showed that the total clearance rate of warts was significantly higher in the oral zinc sulphate group than in the control group (risk difference = 0.288; 95% CI = 0.087-0.489; p = 0.005). Subgroup analysis revealed that this therapeutic effect was more pronounced in individuals with low initial plasma zinc levels (risk difference = 0.767; 95% CI = 0.649-0.885; p < 0.001). Additionally, meta-regression showed that rise in zinc ion levels post-treatment were correlated with better treatment outcomes (coefficient = 0.0068; p < 0.001). Furthermore, for patients receiving traditional warts treatment, combining oral zinc sulphate significantly reduced the 6-month recurrence rate (log risk ratio = -1.043; 95% CI = -1.666 - -0.420; p = 0.001). The most common treatment-related side effects were nausea (risk difference = 0.562; 95% CI = 0.088-1.036; p = 0.020) and vomiting (risk difference = 0.205; 95% CI = 0.092-0.317; p < 0.001). Based on this evidence, oral zinc sulphate monotherapy offers notable benefits to those avoiding conventional treatments, and when combined with traditional therapies for viral warts, it can notably reduce recurrence rates over six months.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.