Abstract
Introduction This study aimed to evaluate the levels of Selenium, Copper, and Zinc in an attempt to identify the role of trace elements in pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection.
Methods We randomly selected 29 patients who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19. Blood serum sample was collected to study serum Se, Zn, and Cu levels at disease onset and at the time of discharge.
Results The median age of our patients was 71.1 ± 14.4 months (range, 3-205 months); 14 (48.3%) patients were male. The mean CRP, and D-Dimer levels were significantly higher at disease onset than at discharge. On the other hand, the mean Cu, Zn, and Se levels were significantly lower at disease onset compared to the time of discharge. The patients with mild-moderate disease severity were older than the patients with severe disease although the difference did not reach statistical significance (82.2±17.7 vs 54.5± 24.7 months; p=0.374). There was no correlation between age and trace elements other than Zn.
Conclusion We believe that, patients and other individuals under risk of COVID-19 should be supplemented with trace elements.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
This study did not receive any funding in any form.
Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
Ethics committee approval was obtained from the Kahramanmaras Sütçü Imam University Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Date: 27.5.2020, No:2020/10).
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Data Availability
The data supporting this research article are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.