The impact of vitamin C-containing treatment on the mortality of patients with sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

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#humans #ascorbic-acid #shock-septic #randomized-controlled-trials-as-topic #vitamins

The impact of vitamin C-containing treatment on the mortality of patients with sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Chen et al., 2022 | J Infect Public Health | Meta Analysis

Citation

Chen Ching-Yi, Chiu Chien-Tung, ... Lai Chih-Cheng. The impact of vitamin C-containing treatment on the mortality of patients with sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Infect Public Health. 2022-Dec;15(12):1514-1520. doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2022.11.015

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of vitamin C-containing therapy for patients with sepsis. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to July 27, 2022. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing vitamin C-containing therapy and placebo or alternative treatment for patients with sepsis were included, and the primary outcome was all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Sixteen RCTs involving a total of 2985 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant difference in 28-day mortality was observed between the study group, who received vitamin C-containing treatment, and the control group (odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71-1.08; P = .20). In subgroup analysis of eight RCTs focusing on patients with septic shock, there was no significant difference in 28-day mortality between the study and control groups (OR, 1.09; 95% CI: 0.89-1.34; P = .41). In addition, no significant difference was observed between the study and control groups in intensive care unit-mortality (OR, 1.03; 95% CI: 0.84-1.25; P = .81), in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.06; 95% CI: 0.85-1.13; P = .60), and 90-day mortality (OR, 1.23; 95% CI: 0.75-2.02; P = .40). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that adjunctive vitamin C-containing therapy did not help improve the clinical outcomes of patients with sepsis/septic shock. Our findings do not support the additional use of vitamin C for septic patients.

Key Findings

Sixteen RCTs involving a total of 2985 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant difference in 28-day mortality was observed between the study group, who received vitamin C-containing treatment, and the control group (odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71-1.08; P = .20). In subgroup analysis of eight RCTs focusing on patients with septic shock, there was no significant difference in 28-day mortality between the study and control groups (OR, 1.09; 9

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population sepsis
Sample Size 2985
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Ascorbic Acid
  • Shock, Septic
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Vitamins
  • Sepsis

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review, Journal Article
  • Vertical: vitamin-c

Provenance

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