Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41219174›Full record

Observational studyNutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition2026

Serum zinc level independently predicts need for inpatient intubation among patients hospitalized with COVID-19: A prospective observational study.

Scott W McPherson, Frederik J van Kuijk, Solmaz Ramezani, Susan Vitale, William H Amundson, Andrew Caraganis, Kathleen S Mahan, Rusdeep Mundae, Ronald A Reilkoff, Emily Y Chew and 1 more

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  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
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

11 authors.

Scott W McPhersonDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Frederik J van KuijkDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Solmaz RamezaniDepartment of Neurology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Susan VitaleDivision of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
William H AmundsonDepartment of Medicine, Division of Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine, Regions Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Andrew CaraganisDepartment of Medicine, Division of Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine, Regions Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Kathleen S MahanDepartment of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Rusdeep MundaeDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Ronald A ReilkoffDepartment of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Emily Y ChewDivision of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
David A WackerDepartment of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1504-7819

Funding

University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI)UL1TR002494 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI BLAZAR, BRUCE R, WEISDORF, DANIEL J · 2018 to 2022
$34.9M
NEI Intramural Biorepository for Retinal Diseases (12-EI-0042)ZIAEY000514 · NEI · NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE · PI KEENAN, TIARNAN · 2012 to 2025
$2.0M
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA EY000514Minnesota Lions Vision FoundationNCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002494
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant morbidity and mortality. Further study of modifiable factors influencing COVID-19 severity and outcomes continues to be necessary. Serum zinc levels may play a role in modulating COVID-19 virus replication and consequently influence clinical outcomes.

methodsThis was a prospective observational study of adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 assessing the relationship between serum zinc levels and clinical outcomes. Serum zinc levels were measured within 7 days of admission. The primary outcome was the need for intubation at any time during inpatient stay. Secondary outcomes included hospital disposition and incidence of shock and acute kidney injury.

resultsSerum zinc levels could be obtained for 99 patients with COVID-19. The 25 requiring intubation during hospitalization had a statistically significantly lower median (IQR) zinc concentration (51.6 µg/dl [46.3-62.3 µg/dl]) than those who did not (64.4 µg/dl [55.2-76.0 µg/dl]; P < 0.01). Patients requiring more respiratory support on hospital day 1, having acute kidney injury on hospital day 8, or requiring pressors on hospital days 1 or 8 also had significantly lower zinc levels. In multivariable analysis including other clinical factors known to influence outcomes in COVID-19 disease, serum zinc level remained an independent predictor of the need for intubation (odds ratio 0.941, 95% CI 0.885-0.999; P = 0.048).

conclusionIn multivariable analysis, lower serum zinc level was an independent predictor of inpatient intubation in COVID-19, but further investigation of zinc supplementation to prevent or reduce severity in COVID-19 infection is warranted before routine clinical use.

Indexed as

COVID-19Intubation, IntratrachealZincAcute Kidney InjuryAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHospitalizationHumansInpatientsMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Zincartificial respirationCOVID‐19infectionsshockzinc

Identifiers

PMID41219174
PMCPMC12667602

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Registered trials

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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.