Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Vogel-González, Marina
• Talló-Parra, Marc
• Herrera-Fernández, Víctor
• Pérez-Vilaró, Gemma
• Chillón, Miguel
• Nogués, Xavier
• Gómez-Zorrilla, Silvia
• López-Montesinos, Inmaculada
• Arnau-Barrés, Isabel
• Sorli-Redó, Maria Luisa
• Horcajada, Juan Pablo
• García-Giralt, Natalia
• Pascual, Julio
• Díez, Juana
• Vicente, Rubén
• Güerri-Fernández, Robert

Titel

Low Zinc Levels at Admission Associates with Poor Clinical Outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Ist Teil von

• Nutrients, 2021-02, Vol.13 (2), p.562

Ort / Verlag

Switzerland: MDPI AG

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Zinc is an essential micronutrient that impacts host-pathogen interplay at infection. Zinc balances immune responses, and also has a proven direct antiviral action against some viruses. Importantly, zinc deficiency (ZD) is a common condition in elderly and individuals with chronic diseases, two groups with an increased risk for severe severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. We hypothesize that serum zinc content (SZC) influences COVID-19 disease progression, and thus might represent a useful biomarker. We ran an observational cohort study with 249 COVID-19 patients admitted in Hospital del Mar. We have studied COVID-19 severity and progression attending to SZC at admission. In parallel, we have studied severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) replication in the Vero E6 cell line modifying zinc concentrations. Our study demonstrates a correlation between serum zinc levels and COVID-19 outcome. Serum zinc levels lower than 50 µg/dL at admission correlated with worse clinical presentation, longer time to reach stability, and higher mortality. Our in vitro results indicate that low zinc levels favor viral expansion in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Low SZC is a risk factor that determines COVID-19 outcome. We encourage performing randomized clinical trials to study zinc supplementation as potential prophylaxis and treatment with people at risk of zinc deficiency.