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360961

The Relationship of Serum Zinc Level in Patients with Pneumonia and Its Effect on Their Outcome

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Last updated: 24 Dec 2024

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Abstract

Background: Pneumonia remains the leading infectious cause of death among children worldwide. Zinc plays a crucial role by activating numerous enzymes participating in various metabolic and immune functions. Objective: To evaluate serum zinc levels in children hospitalized with pneumonia and to investigate the relationship between zinc concentrations, the severity of pneumonia, and patient outcomes. Patients and Methods: The study involved 120 children diagnosed with pneumonia, categorized into two groups based on their need for Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admission: Group I: 45 children who required PICU admission, while Group II: 75 children who did not. Comprehensive medical histories, thorough clinical examinations, laboratory tests, radiological evaluations, and serum zinc measurements were conducted for all participants Results: Children admitted to the PICU had significantly lower serum zinc levels (62.8±26.7 μg/dL) compared to those not admitted (93.4±30.2 μg/dL), p < 0.001. Severe pneumonia, increased oxygen support, and mortality were associated with lower serum zinc levels. Serum zinc levels positively correlated with weight, height, BMI, hemoglobin, and blood pH, and negatively correlated with blood CO2, C-reactive protein, and hospital stay duration. At a cutoff of <67.1 μg/dL, serum zinc was able to predict severe cases of pneumonia in children, with sensitivity of 83.1% and specificity of 74.3%. At a cutoff of <47 μg/dL, serum zinc was able to predict mortality in children with pneumonia, with 80.8% sensitivity and 73.2% specificity. Conclusion: A deficiency in zinc was linked to more severe cases of pneumonia, increased necessity for mechanical ventilation, higher mortality rates, and prolonged hospital stays.  

DOI

10.21608/ejhm.2024.360961

Keywords

zinc, children, pneumonia, PICU

Volume

95

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

46984

Issue Date

2024-04-01

Receive Date

2024-06-18

Publish Date

2024-04-01

Page Start

2,195

Page End

2,200

Print ISSN

1687-2002

Online ISSN

2090-7125

Link

https://ejhm.journals.ekb.eg/article_360961.html

Detail API

https://ejhm.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=360961

Order

138

Type

Original Article

Type Code

606

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine

Publication Link

https://ejhm.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

The Relationship of Serum Zinc Level in Patients with Pneumonia and Its Effect on Their Outcome

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Article

Created At

24 Dec 2024