Comparison of Role of Zinc Supplementation Versus Placebo in Patients with HCV Related Cirrhosis

Abstract

Objectives: To compare Zinc supplementation in HCV related cirrhosis with placebo in terms of mean change in levels of patients HCV viral load. Design: Randomized controlled trial (RCT). Setting: Department of Medicine Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. Period: From August 2014 to November 2014. Methodology: A total of 120 cases (60 in each group) were included in the study. The patients in study group received 150 mg of elemental Zinc (Syp. Zincate-OK 20 mg/5ml containing 20 mg of elemental zinc) two times in a day with routine treatment protocol of cirrhosis and patients in control group received routine treatment of cirrhosis and placebo in the form of multivitamin. Patients were followed for 4 months. Outcome after zinc supplementation was measured in terms of mean viral load of patients from baseline (at time of admission) by PCR technique. Results: In our study, majority of the patients in both groups were between 41-50 years i.e. 36.67%(n=22) in Cases and 31.67%(n=19) in controls, mean and SD was calculated as 43.65+4.21 in cases and 45.27+3.98 years in controls, 61.67%(n=37) in cases and 68.33%(n=41) in controls were male and 38.33%(n=23) in cases and 31.67%(n=19) in controls were females, mean viral load at the time of admission was recorded as 51.43+23.54 in cases and 52.21+17.46 in controls, p value was 0.28 which shows insignificant difference in both groups, while mean viral load after treatment was calculated as 6.22+2.13 in cases and 28.34+5.95 in controls, p value was computed as 0.000, which shows a significant difference in both groups. Conclusion:  We concluded that on comparison of Zinc supplementation in HCV related cirrhosis with placebo in terms of mean change in levels of patients HCV viral load, patients treated with Zinc supplementation had significantly lower viral load which suggests use of zinc supplementation in future in patients with HCV related cirrhosis.