The Relationship Between Zinc Levels, Length of Hospital Stay, and Mortality in Intensive Care Unit of COVID-19 Patients

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between disease severity and serum Zinc(Zn) levels in COVID-19 patients.Materials and Methods: The study included 153 COVID-19 patients confirmed by RT-PCR test, were divided into two groups according to the severity of the disease: hospitalized COVID-19 patients (n=81) and intensive care unit patients (n=72). Additionally, 78 healthy controls were included. Serum levels of various biomarkers, including WBC, Neutrophil, Lymphocyte, Monocyte, Platelet, PT, APTT, INR, D-Dimer, CRP, PCT, Ferritin, and Zinc, were measured for all participants. Demographic data and length of hospitalization were also recorded.Results: The study found significant differences between the groups in age, hospitalizations, chronic disease, and length of hospital stay (p≤0.001). COVID-19 patients had lower median zinc levels (89μg/dl) compared to healthy individuals (99.50μg/dl), and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.023). As zinc levels increased, the CORADS score decreased (r=-0.248, p=0.031). There was an inverse relationship between zinc level and intensive care unit admission, indicating that lower zinc levels were associated with a higher probability of intensive care hospitalization (r=-0.260, p=0.023).Conclusion: This study showed that COVID-19 patients had significantly lower zinc levels than healthy individuals. The difference between the average zinc level of COVID-19 patients and the average zinc level of healthy individuals were found to be statistically significant. Additionally, a significant inverse relationship were found between zinc level and intensive care unit hospitalization; As the zinc level decreases, the likelihood of being hospitalized in intensive care increases.