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Therapeutics
Zinc acetate lozenges reduced the duration and severity of symptoms of the common cold

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebm.6.2.46

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    (2000) Ann Intern Med 133, 245. Prasad AS, Fitzgerald JT, Bao B, et al.. Duration of symptoms and plasma cytokine levels in patients with the common cold treated with zinc acetate. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.. Aug 15;. :. –52.
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 QUESTION: In patients with a common cold, do zinc acetate lozenges reduce the duration and severity of symptoms?

    Design

    Randomised (allocation concealed*), blinded (patients and outcome assessors),* placebo controlled trial with 12 days follow up.

    Setting

    Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

    Patients

    50 volunteers (mean age 37 y, 63% men) who were recruited within 24 hours of developing symptoms of the common cold and had ≥2 of the following 10 symptoms: cough, headache, hoarseness, muscle ache, nasal drainage, nasal congestion, scratchy throat, sore throat, sneezing, or fever. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, immunodeficiency disorder, chronic illness, or previous use of zinc lozenges to treat the common cold. 48 patients (96%) completed the trial.

    Intervention

    25 patients were allocated to …

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    Footnotes

    • Source of funding: in part, the George and Patsy Eby Research Foundation.

    • For correspondence: Dr A S Prasad, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Wayne State University, University Health Center 5-C, 4201 St Antoine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA. Fax + 1 313 745 4440.

    • ↵* See glossary.