Zinc supplementation may help prevent infection in young children with sickle cell anaemia

Zinc supplementation appears to reduce the incidence of all-cause infections in young children with sickle cell anaemia, according to a study.

The study included 100 paediatric sickle cell anaemia patients ages 1 to <5 years (mean age 36 months, 45 percent female). These patients were randomly assigned to receive zinc sulfate 20 mg (n=50) or placebo (n=50). These supplements were taken daily for 6 months.

At baseline, 45 patients were receiving hydroxyurea therapy. All patients either initiated or continued receiving hydroxyurea after enrolment. None of the patients were lost to follow-up.

There were 80 documented all-cause infections in the zinc group and 124 in the placebo group during the 6-month follow-up. The corresponding incidence rates were 305.7 and 480.7 infections per 100 person-years, respectively (rate difference, −176). The adjusted incidence rate ratio was 0.62 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.45–0.86).

In terms of safety, there were no adverse events requiring discontinuation of the study intervention reported in either the zinc or placebo group.

Multisite clinical trials are warranted to confirm the present data and to evaluate the efficacy of zinc supplementation in older children.