Efficacy and safety of zinc supplementation for adults, children and pregnant women with HIV infection: systematic review

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#aids-related-opportunistic-infections #adult #cd4-lymphocyte-count #child-preschool #diarrhea

Efficacy and safety of zinc supplementation for adults, children and pregnant women with HIV infection: systematic review

Zeng et al., 2011 | Trop Med Int Health | Systematic Review

Citation

Zeng Linan, Zhang Lingli. Efficacy and safety of zinc supplementation for adults, children and pregnant women with HIV infection: systematic review. Trop Med Int Health. 2011-Dec;16(12):1474-82. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3156.2011.02871.x

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy and safety of zinc supplementary in children, adults and pregnant women with HIV infection. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search in Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CBM, VIP and CNKI. Only randomized controlled trials conducted subsequent to the introduction of zinc supplementation were included in this systematic review. Two reviewers assessed and extracted data for analysis. RESULTS: Six trials with a total of 1009 participants were included. The findings in this review suggested a benefit of zinc supplementation in reducing opportunistic infection for both adults and children with HIV infection. In terms of increase in zinc level and CD4 counts, however, only adults with HIV infection benefited. For other outcomes, such as viral load, mortality, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and foetal outcomes, zinc supplementation conferred no benefit over placebo. No adverse event related to zinc supplementation was found in all the included trials. CONCLUSION: Based on the current evidence, zinc supplementation seems to be beneficial in adult patients with HIV infection in some aspects. More research is needed in children and pregnant women. The influence of zinc dose, duration and usage of antiretroviral medicine also requires further investigation.

Key Findings

Six trials with a total of 1009 participants were included. The findings in this review suggested a benefit of zinc supplementation in reducing opportunistic infection for both adults and children with HIV infection. In terms of increase in zinc level and CD4 counts, however, only adults with HIV infection benefited. For other outcomes, such as viral load, mortality, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and foetal outcomes, zinc supplementation conferred no benefit over placebo. No adverse event

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population adult patients
Sample Size 1009
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections
  • Adult
  • CD4 Lymphocyte Count
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diarrhea
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Female
  • HIV Infections
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
  • Labyrinth Diseases
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pneumonia
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Respiratory Tract Infections
  • Trace Elements
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Viral Load
  • Young Adult
  • Zinc

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: zinc-immune

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09