Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of zinc on wound healing

Abstract

In times of metabolic stress, the demand for nutrients increases, which is essential to prevent delayed healing and development of chronic wounds. This study presents a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effect of zinc treatment on wound healing. The review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and included data from four electronic data bases. Five clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis suggested that zinc treatment may be associated with improvements in ulcers healing at the final endpoint MD: 1.41 (95% CI 1.04, 1.92, p = 0.03). Given the limitations of the included studies, a Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation assessment indicated a moderate quality of evidence.