Seo Hye Rin, Chung Kyung Bae, Kim Do-Young
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
J Clin Med. 2025 Jan 5;14(1):260. doi: 10.3390/jcm14010260.
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a common oral mucosal disorder characterized by painful ulcerations and frequent recurrences, which can significantly impair quality of life. This study explores the efficacy of zinc-enriched multivitamin supplementation (ZnVita, containing 22.5 mg of elemental zinc) for the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis in treatment-naïve patients, aiming to diminish the reliance on immunomodulatory drugs. Conducted as a retrospective observational study at a tertiary referral hospital from 2013 to 2023, we analyzed 201 patients who received ZnVita daily for a minimum duration of one month as their initial management. Patients who were using systemic immunomodulating agents or met the diagnostic criteria for Behçet's disease were excluded. Of the 201 patients, 95 presented with an oral ulcer alone and 106 exhibited additional symptoms associated with Behçet's disease. Efficacy analysis was conducted on 155 patients due to follow-up loss or incomplete data. Among them, 58.7% (91/155) showed partial or significant responses. Patients with BD-related symptoms were significantly more prevalent among non-responders (64.1%, 41/64) compared to responders (42.9%, 39/91), with a statistically significant difference ( = 0.009). Treatment was well-tolerated, with mild gastrointestinal adverse events reported in only 2.5% of cases. These results suggest that zinc-enriched multivitamin supplementation offers a beneficial and safe initial treatment alternative for a considerable proportion of treatment-naïve recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients, especially those without concurrent symptoms of Behçet's disease, showcasing its potential in reducing the future need for immunomodulatory treatments.
复发性阿弗他口炎是一种常见的口腔黏膜疾病，其特征为疼痛性溃疡且频繁复发，这会显著损害生活质量。本研究探讨富含锌的多种维生素补充剂（ZnVita，含22.5毫克元素锌）对初治复发性阿弗他口炎患者的治疗效果，旨在减少对免疫调节药物的依赖。作为一项在2013年至2023年于一家三级转诊医院开展的回顾性观察性研究，我们分析了201例每天接受ZnVita治疗至少1个月作为初始治疗的患者。正在使用全身免疫调节药物或符合白塞病诊断标准的患者被排除。在这201例患者中，95例仅出现口腔溃疡，106例表现出与白塞病相关的其他症状。由于随访失访或数据不完整，对155例患者进行了疗效分析。其中，58.7%（91/155）显示部分或显著缓解。与缓解者（42.9%，39/91）相比，无反应者中与白塞病相关症状的患者更为普遍（64.1%，41/64），差异有统计学意义（ = 0.009）。治疗耐受性良好，仅2.5%的病例报告有轻度胃肠道不良事件。这些结果表明，富含锌的多种维生素补充剂为相当一部分初治复发性阿弗他口炎患者，尤其是那些无白塞病并发症状的患者，提供了一种有益且安全的初始治疗选择，显示出其在减少未来免疫调节治疗需求方面的潜力。
