Zinc Intervention in Elderly for Prevention of Pneumonia

Summary

Pneumonia is a major public health problem for the elderly and is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death for this population, particularly for elderly nursing home residents. This planning grants seeks to establish a safe and effective dose of zinc supplementation with the goal to conduct a larger randomized clinical trial to study the effect of zinc supplementation in nursing home elderly with low serum zinc levels on the risk, antibiotic use, and duration of sick days with pneumonia. This project has significant potential to positively impact the health and quality of life in the elderly and to reduce the economic costs associated with their care.

Timeline

Start

2022-05-03

Primary completion

2024-06-30

Completion

2024-06-30

Publications

• Ortega EF, Wu D, Guo W, Meydani SN, Panda A. Study protocol for a zinc intervention in the elderly for prevention of pneumonia, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical pilot trial. Front Nutr. 2024 Feb 21;11:1356594. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1356594. eCollection 2024.

Drugs

Indications