Daily 20 mg of zinc reduces infections by nearly 40% in children with sickle cell anemia
A daily 20-milligram dose of zinc reduced infections by nearly 40% among Ugandan children younger than 5 with sickle cell anemia, according to new research led by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine and their study partners in Uganda. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), point to an affordable, well-tolerated strategy to decrease…
A new study led by researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine and their partners in Uganda has found that a daily 20-milligram dose of zinc can significantly reduce infections in young children with sickle cell anemia. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), indicates that this affordable and well-tolerated strategy could help decrease hospitalizations and save lives for children suffering from the genetic blood disorder.
Sickle cell anemia causes misshapen red blood cells that block oxygen flow, leading to serious health complications. Zinc deficiency is common in children with the disease, leaving them especially vulnerable to infections. In a pilot clinical trial, 100 children aged 1 to 5 with sickle cell anemia were treated at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda, receiving either 20 mg or a placebo of zinc daily for six months.
The study found that children who received the 20 mg zinc dose experienced a 38% reduction in all-cause infections compared to those who received a placebo. While the findings are promising, the researchers caution that further validation in larger multisite studies is needed before zinc can be considered the standard of care for children with sickle cell anemia.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
