Such data were introduced Spanish doctors at the COVID-19 conference of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
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It is known that a high concentration of zinc inside cells effectively prevents the multiplication of many viruses. However, until now, it was unclear how zinc levels affect plasma blood test for SARS-COV-2 virus. Doctors at a hospital in Barcelona studied how the concentration of zinc in the blood of a patient with a coronavirus infection, recorded during hospitalization, is associated with the outcome of the disease.
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To do this, the researchers analyzed data on 249 patients admitted to the hospital from March 15 to April 30, 2020. The average age of the patients was 63 years, 55% of them were men. 21 patients died.
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Analysis of the collected information showed that those who died had significantly lower blood zinc levels at the time of hospitalization than those who survived (an average of 43 micrograms per deciliter versus 63 micrograms per deciliter).
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At the same time, in patients with high levels of zinc in the blood during the period of acute development of infection, lower indicators of the activity of the immune system were observed.
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Taking all factors into account, the researchers calculated that each additional microgram of zinc in blood plasma reduces the risk of death from COVID-19 by 7%. For example, in patients with blood zinc levels below 50 micrograms per deciliter, the risk of dying from COVID-19 in a hospital is 2.3 times higher than if the concentration of zinc in the blood exceeds this threshold, the researchers found.
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