Does Prophylactic Oral Zinc Reduce the Risk of Contracting COVID-19?

ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to investigate whether zinc provided in Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) vitamins is associated with a decreased risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective observational cohort study involving pat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2022-10, Vol.14 (10), p.e30881-e30881
Main Authors: Adrean, Sean D, Schmitt, Kenneth, Ng, Caleb, Pirouz, Ash, Ramkumar, Hema L, Grant, Scott
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Clinical trials
Coronaviruses
COVID-19 vaccines
Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy
Disease transmission
Eye diseases
Infectious Disease
Macular degeneration
Ophthalmology
Pandemics
Patients
Public Health
Respiratory diseases
RNA polymerase
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Viruses
Vitamin C
Zinc
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Summary:ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to investigate whether zinc provided in Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) vitamins is associated with a decreased risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective observational cohort study involving patients at a retina-only practice who were provided a questionnaire at each visit to assess whether they were symptomatic of or had contracted COVID-19. Those who answered yes to testing positive for COVID-19 were retrospectively analyzed and categorized based on their AREDS2 vitamin use, and a Pearson’s chi-squared test was performed. Demographic data and past ocular history were also analyzed.ResultsA total of 8,426 unique patients, including 2,111 with a diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), were seen from April 1, 2020, to April 9, 2021. A total of 110 patients (1.3%) reported contracting COVID-19 and had positive COVID-19 tests. The average age of those who had contracted COVID-19 in this study was 68.3 years; 51.8% were male, 30.1% had AMD, 28.2% had diabetic retinopathy, 24.5% had surgical retinal disease, 11.8% had retinal vascular disease, and 4.5% had other disease states. Of the COVID-19-positive patients, 27.3% (30/110) took AREDS2 vitamins, while 72.7% (80/110) patients did not. A chi-squared analysis was performed, which was not statistically significant (p=0.667).ConclusionsOral zinc supplementation, in the form of AREDS2 vitamins, is not associated with a protective effect against contracting COVID-19.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.30881