Serum zinc and pneumonia in nursing home elderly
Open accessAbstract
Background Zinc plays an important role in immune function. The association between serum zinc and pneumonia in the elderly has not been studied.Objective The objective was to determine whether serum zinc concentrations in nursing home elderly are associated with the incidence and duration of pneumonia, total and duration of antibiotic use, and pneumonia-associated and all-cause mortality.Design This observational study was conducted in residents from 33 nursing homes in Boston, MA, who participated in a 1-y randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled vitamin E supplementation trial; all were given daily doses of 50% of the recommended dietary allowance of essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc. Participants with baseline (n = 578) or final (n = 420) serum zinc concentrations were categorized as having low (<70 microg/dL) or normal (>or=70 microg/dL) serum zinc concentrations. Outcome measures included the incidence and number of days with pneumonia, number of new antibiotic prescriptions, days of antibiotic use, death due to pneumonia, and all-cause mortality.Results Compared with subjects with low zinc concentrations, subjects with normal final serum zinc concentrations had a lower incidence of pneumonia, fewer (by almost 50%) new antibiotic prescriptions, a shorter duration of pneumonia, and fewer days of antibiotic use (3.9 d compared with 2.6 d) (P <or= 0.004 for all). Normal baseline serum zinc concentrations were associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality (P = 0.049).Conclusion Normal serum zinc concentrations in nursing home elderly are associated with a decreased incidence and duration of pneumonia, a decreased number of new antibiotic prescriptions, and a decrease in the days of antibiotic use. Zinc supplementation to maintain normal serum zinc concentrations in the elderly may help reduce the incidence of pneumonia and associated morbidity.
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Immunological benefits of zinc supplementation help to reduce the incidence of infections such as common cold, cold sores and influenza, as well as the incidence and morbidity of pneumonia.
“immunological benefits that help to reduce the incidence of infections such as common cold, cold sores and influenza [120], as well as the incidence and morbidity of pneumonia [121].”
From Immune function and micronutrient requirements change over the life course (2018) · cites this paper as [121]
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- Authors
- Meydani, S. N., Barnett, J. B., Dallal, G. E., Fine, B. C., Jacques, P. F., Leka, L. S., & Hamer, D. H.
- Affiliations
- Boston University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Meydani, Simin N
- Venue
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-10
- Volume
- 86
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1167-1173
- ISSN
- 0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2323679
- OpenAlex
- W1951544708
- Cited by
- 155
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 7.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (58-1950-9-001)
- National Institutes of Health (58-1950-9-001)
- National Institute on Aging (1R01-AG13975, AG13975, 58-1950-9-001, P01AG004390, R01AG013975, T32AG023480)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Keywords
- serum zinc, pneumonia, nursing home residents, older adults, zinc supplementation, vitamin E supplementation, antibiotic use, pneumonia mortality, all-cause mortality, immune function, micronutrient status
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Boston, Cause of Death, Double-Blind Method, Female, Homes for the Aged, Humans, Male, Nursing Homes, Nutritional Status, Pneumonia, Time Factors, Vitamin E, Vitamins, Zinc, Incidence, Dietary Supplements
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