Zinc supplementation in neonatal bronchopulmonary dysplasia: Is it beneficial?

Background: Neonatal Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic chest disease that is caused by prolonged ventilation and oxygenation, leading to sever neonatal disability. Patients and methods: Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) study which was done at Tanta University Hospital (TUH) from July 2016 to March 2018 on 100 preterm neonates who had Respiratory Distress (RD) and were put on Mechanical Ventilation (MV). The studied neonates were divided into 2 groups: group 1, which received Zn supplementation, and group 2, which received placebo. Urinary β2-microglobulin (B2M) and serum Krebs van den Lungen-6 (KL-6) levels were estimated on the 3rd day and the10th day of presence in the hospital. Results: Significant decline in urinary B2M and serum KL-6 levels occurred in neonates of group 1 who were given Zn compared with those in group 2 neonates, who received placebo (P<0.05). There was a significant decline in the time of incubator stay in group 1 neonates, compared with that of group 2 neonates (P<0.05). Group 1 neonates showed a significant decline in the development of established cases of BPD if compared with group 2 (P<0.05). Conclusion: Zn supplementation is beneficial in the prevention of neonatal BPD.