Effects of zinc and vitamin A supplementation on prognostic markers and treatment outcomes of adults with pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis



Wagnew, Fasil, Alene, Kefyalew Addis, Eshetie, Setegn, Wingfield, Tom ORCID: 0000-0001-8433-6887, Kelly, Matthew and Gray, Darren
(2022) Effects of zinc and vitamin A supplementation on prognostic markers and treatment outcomes of adults with pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH, 7 (9). e008625-.

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Abstract

<h4>Introduction</h4>Undernutrition is a major risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), which is estimated to be responsible for 1.9 million TB cases per year globally. The effectiveness of micronutrient supplementation on TB treatment outcomes and its prognostic markers (sputum conversion, serum zinc, retinol and haemoglobin levels) has been poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the effect of zinc and vitamin A supplementation on prognostic markers and TB treatment outcomes among adults with sputum-positive pulmonary TB.<h4>Methods</h4>A systematic literature search for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was performed in PubMed, Embase and Scopus databases. Meta-analysis with a random effect model was performed to estimate risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD), with a 95% CI, for dichotomous and continuous outcomes, respectively.<h4>Results</h4>Our search identified 2195 records. Of these, nine RCTs consisting of 1375 participants were included in the final analyses. Among adults with pulmonary TB, zinc (RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.03), vitamin A (RR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.01) and combined zinc and vitamin A (RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.08) supplementation were not significantly associated with TB treatment success. Combined zinc and vitamin A supplementation was significantly associated with increased sputum smear conversion at 2 months (RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.32), serum zinc levels at 2 months (MD: 0.86 μmol/L, 95% CI: 0.14 to 1.57), serum retinol levels at 2 months (MD: 0.06 μmol/L, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.08) and 6 months (MD: 0.12 μmol/L, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.14) and serum haemoglobin level at 6 months (MD: 0.29 μg/dL, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.51), among adults with pulmonary TB.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Providing zinc and vitamin A supplementation to adults with sputum-positive pulmonary TB during treatment may increase early sputum smear conversion, serum zinc, retinol and haemoglobin levels. However, the use of zinc, vitamin A or both was not associated with TB treatment success.<h4>Prospero registration number</h4>CRD42021248548.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: tuberculosis, health policy, epidemiology, systematic review, randomised control trial
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 20 Jan 2023 12:56
Last Modified: 20 Jan 2023 12:56
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008625
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3167764