The role of vitamins and minerals in prevention and treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases in adults

Abstract

According to the recent reports of the World Health Organization (WHO), the share of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) among all infectious diseases in about 75–90%. The ARVI prevalence rates make it urgent to search for new methods of prevention and treatment, adequate control of the epidemics and pandemics of influenza and COVID-19. ARVIs cause significant economic losses due to high appealability and temporary disability rates in the population. This was most noticeable since late 2019, when the SARS-CoV-2 infection became a priority for the global medical community and the general population. ARVIs constitute a heterogenous group of the infectious respiratory tract disorders caused by numerous viruses (there are more than 200 viruses, such as influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, coronavirus, etc.). The symptoms of ARVIs that have much in common include fever, cough, chest pain, headache, myalgia, asthenia, anosmia, etc. The paper discusses the issues of the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary diseases, such as ARVI and COVID-19, and the pathogenetically substantiated machanisms of targeting these disorders. The paper deals with systematic reviews and meta-analyses focused on the use of zinc, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin E for prevention or treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases in adults.

Keywords

• zinc
• selenium
• beta-carotene
• vitamin c
• vitamin e
• vitamin a
• covid-19
• acute respiratory infections