Effect of Zinc Supplementation on the Clinical Signs of Patients with Plaque-Type Psoriasis with Skin Congestion Under 20%

Background and Aim: This study aimed to assess the effects of zinc supplementation on the clinical signs of patients with plaque-type psoriasis with skin congestion under 20%. Materials and Methods: This randomized double-blinded clinical trial included 44 patients with plaque-type psoriasis with skin congestion under 20% referring to the Imam Reza Hospital in Ardabil, Iran. The patients with low levels of serum zinc and no history of joint congestion were randomly divided into a treatment and a control group. Those in the treatment group received, daily for a month, a 220mg zinc supplement along with Eucerin, a topical ointment, while those in the control group received a placebo and Eucerin for the same period. All the participants were followed up for a period of three months. The severity of itching, erythema, scaling, dispersion, and extent of lesions induration were determined using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 26.0, the statistical method being generalized estimation equations (GEE). Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups as regards demographic and general characteristics (p>0.05); there was no significant difference as regards their initial serum zinc levels either (p>0.05). Based on the  GEE analysis, no significant differences were observed as regards itching severity, erythema, scaling, dispersion, the thickness of lesions’ induration between the two groups over the study period (p>0.05). Conclusion: Zinc supplementation has no considerable effect on reducing the clinical signs of patients with plaque-type psoriasis and skin congestion under 20%.