TY - JOUR
T1 - Efficacy and safety of vitamin C supplementation in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia
T2 - a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis
AU - Sharma, Yogesh
AU - Sumanadasa, Subodha
AU - Shahi, Rashmi
AU - Woodman, Richard
AU - Mangoni, Arduino A.
AU - Bihari, Shailesh
AU - Thompson, Campbell
PY - 2024/5/24
Y1 - 2024/5/24
N2 - Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) poses a significant global health challenge, prompting exploration of innovative treatments. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vitamin C supplementation in adults undergoing treatment for CAP. A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinical Trials.gov databases from inception to 17 November 2023 identified six randomized-controlled-trials (RCTs) meeting inclusion criteria. The primary outcome analysis revealed a non-significant trend towards reduced overall mortality in the vitamin C group compared to controls (RR 0.51; 95% CI 0.24 to 1.09; p = 0.052; I2 = 0; p = 0.65). Sensitivity analysis, excluding corona-virus-disease 2019 (COVID-19) studies and considering the route of vitamin C administration, confirmed this trend. Secondary outcomes, including hospital length-of-stay (LOS), intensive-care-unit (ICU) LOS, and mechanical ventilation, exhibited mixed results. Notably, heterogeneity and publication bias were observed in hospital LOS analysis, necessitating cautious interpretation. Adverse effects were minimal, with isolated incidents of nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and tachycardia reported. This meta-analysis suggests potential benefits of vitamin C supplementation in CAP treatment. However, inconclusive findings and methodological limitations warrants cautious interpretation, emphasising the urgency for high-quality trials to elucidate the true impact of vitamin C supplementation in CAP management.
AB - Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) poses a significant global health challenge, prompting exploration of innovative treatments. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vitamin C supplementation in adults undergoing treatment for CAP. A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinical Trials.gov databases from inception to 17 November 2023 identified six randomized-controlled-trials (RCTs) meeting inclusion criteria. The primary outcome analysis revealed a non-significant trend towards reduced overall mortality in the vitamin C group compared to controls (RR 0.51; 95% CI 0.24 to 1.09; p = 0.052; I2 = 0; p = 0.65). Sensitivity analysis, excluding corona-virus-disease 2019 (COVID-19) studies and considering the route of vitamin C administration, confirmed this trend. Secondary outcomes, including hospital length-of-stay (LOS), intensive-care-unit (ICU) LOS, and mechanical ventilation, exhibited mixed results. Notably, heterogeneity and publication bias were observed in hospital LOS analysis, necessitating cautious interpretation. Adverse effects were minimal, with isolated incidents of nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and tachycardia reported. This meta-analysis suggests potential benefits of vitamin C supplementation in CAP treatment. However, inconclusive findings and methodological limitations warrants cautious interpretation, emphasising the urgency for high-quality trials to elucidate the true impact of vitamin C supplementation in CAP management.
KW - Bacteria
KW - Respiratory tract diseases
KW - Virology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85194127816&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-024-62571-5
DO - 10.1038/s41598-024-62571-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 38783029
AN - SCOPUS:85194127816
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 14
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
IS - 1
M1 - 11846
ER -
