A comparative study of serum Zn, Cu, Mg, Mn, Cr, and Fe levels and their association with the vulnerability of Iraqi COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUND: For the immune system to protect the body from infectious diseases such as COVID-19, it needs the ideal amount of vital trace elements. Trace element levels, especially, zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), and iron (Fe) levels, may affect how sensitive an individual is to COVID-19 and other viruses. The current study evaluated the level of those trace elements during stays in the isolation center and investigated their association with vulnerability to COVID-19. METHODS: A total of 120 individuals, 49 males and 71 females aged between 20 and 60 years, were included in this study. Forty individuals infected with COVID-19, 40 individuals who had recovered from it, and 40 healthy individuals, were all evaluated and studied. By using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer, levels of Zn, Cu, and Mg were assessed for all samples, whereas levels of Mn, and Cr were determined by a flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometer. RESULTS: The infected individuals had significantly lower levels of Zn, Mg, Mn, Cr, and Fe than recovered individuals and healthy control individuals (P < 0.0001). On the other hand, the total number of infected patients was found to have much higher levels of Cu than those in the recovered group and the control group. For the recovered and healthy control groups, no significant differences were observed in the levels of trace elements (P > 0.05), except for Zn (P < 0.01). Also, the findings indicated no association of trace elements with age and BMI (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results show that an imbalance in the levels of essential trace elements could be associated with increasing the risk of COVID-19 infection. However, additional thorough research of greater scope is required considering the severity of the infection.