Efficacy of Oral Zinc Supplementation in Radiologically Confirmed Pneumonia: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effect of zinc as an adjuvant therapy in radiologically confirmed pneumonia in children 2–24 months of age. Patients and Methods We analyzed data of 212 children with pneumonia for whom chest X-ray films were available at enrollment and at least two radiologists agreed on the diagnosis of pneumonia. We compared the time to recovery in the two groups (n = 121, zinc group and n = 91, placebo group) using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results Time to recovery was similar in both groups [median interquartile range: zinc, 84 h (64, 140 h); placebo, 85 h (65, 140 h)]. The absolute risk reduction for treatment failure was 5.2% (95% confidence interval: −4.8, 15.1) with zinc supplementation. Conclusion There was no significant beneficial effect of zinc on the duration of recovery or risk of treatment failure in children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia.