Do Zinc Supplements Enhance the Clinical Efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine?: a Randomized, Multicenter Trial
Abd-Elsalam et al.,
Do Zinc Supplements Enhance the Clinical Efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine?: a Randomized, Multicenter Trial,
Biological Trace Element Research, doi:10.1007/s12011-020-02512-1
191 patient RCT in Egypt comparing the addition of zinc to HCQ, not showing a significant difference. No information on baseline zinc values was recorded. Egypt has a low rate of zinc deficiency so supplementation may be less likely to be helpful
[ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (B)]. For several issues with this trial, see
[osf.io].
This study is excluded in the after exclusion results of meta
analysis:
multiple potential data reliability issues.
risk of death, 1.0% lower, RR 0.99, p = 0.99, treatment 5 of 96 (5.2%), control 5 of 95 (5.3%), NNT 1824.
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risk of mechanical ventilation, 34.0% lower, RR 0.66, p = 0.54, treatment 4 of 96 (4.2%), control 6 of 95 (6.3%), NNT 47.
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risk of no recovery, 5.8% lower, RR 0.94, p = 0.97, treatment 20 of 96 (20.8%), control 21 of 95 (22.1%), NNT 79.
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hospitalization time, 3.6% lower, relative time 0.96, p = 0.55, treatment 96, control 95.
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Effect extraction follows pre-specified rules prioritizing more serious outcomes. Submit updates
|
Abd-Elsalam et al., 29 Nov 2020, Randomized Controlled Trial, Egypt, peer-reviewed, 10 authors, data issues, see notes.
Abstract: Biological Trace Element Research (2021) 199:3642–3646
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02512-1
Do Zinc Supplements Enhance the Clinical Efficacy
of Hydroxychloroquine?: a Randomized, Multicenter Trial
Sherief Abd-Elsalam 1 & Shaimaa Soliman 2 & Eslam Saber Esmail 1 & Mai Khalaf 1 & Ehab F. Mostafa 3 &
Mohammed A. Medhat 3 & Ossama Ashraf Ahmed 4 & Mohamed Samir Abd El Ghafar 5 & Mohamed Alboraie 6 &
Sahar M. Hassany 3
Received: 1 September 2020 / Accepted: 23 November 2020 / Published online: 27 November 2020
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract
No specific treatment for COVID-19 infection is available up till now, and there is a great urge for effective treatment to reduce
morbidity and mortality during this pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the effect of combining chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine
(CQ/HCQ) and zinc in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. This was a randomized clinical trial conducted at three major
University hospitals in Egypt. One hundred ninety-one patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 infection were
randomized into two groups: group I (96) patients received both HCQ and zinc, and group II (95) received HCQ only. The
primary endpoints were the recovery within 28 days, the need for mechanical ventilation, and death. The two groups were
matched for age and gender. They had no significant difference regarding any of the baseline laboratory parameters or clinical
severity grading. Clinical recovery after 28 days was achieved by 79.2% in the zinc group and 77.9% in zinc-free treatment
group, without any significant difference (p = 0.969). The need for mechanical ventilation and the overall mortality rates did not
show any significant difference between the 2 groups either (p = 0.537 and 0.986, respectively). The age of the patient and the
need for mechanical ventilation were the only risk factors associated with the patients’ mortality by the univariate regression
analysis (p = 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively). Zinc supplements did not enhance the clinical efficacy of HCQ. More randomized
studies are needed to evaluate the value of adding zinc to other therapies for COVID 19. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT04447534
Keywords Zinc . Chloroquine . Antioxidants . COVID 19 . Treatment
Late treatment
is less effective
abdelsalam2
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