Effect of Vitamin C on Length of Hospital Stay in Children With Severe Pneumonia

NCT07414693 | Recruiting Phase 4

• 1 other identifier: U1111-1334-9511
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 90
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Severe pneumonia is a common and serious illness in young children and often requires hospital admission. This clinical trial aims to find out whether adding vitamin C to standard treatment can reduce the length of hospital stay in children under five years of age admitted with severe pneumonia. The main question this study seeks to answer is: Does giving vitamin C along with routine treatment help children with severe pneumonia recover faster and go home earlier compared to standard treatment alone? In this study, 90 children aged 2 to 59 months who are admitted to the Children's Hospital Multan with severe pneumonia will take part. Severe pneumonia is defined by fast breathing, fever, cough, and one or more danger signs such as difficulty feeding, repeated vomiting, seizures, bluish discoloration of lips, or noisy breathing. Children with chronic lung disease or weakened immunity will not be included. After parental consent, children will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive standard treatment only, which includes oxygen therapy and intravenous antibiotics according to hospital protocol. The second group will receive the same standard treatment plus a daily dose of vitamin C. Neither group will receive any experimental or unapproved therapy. Researchers will closely monitor each child's recovery, including improvement in breathing rate, temperature, oxygen levels, and overall clinical condition. The child will be discharged when the treating physician determines that recovery criteria are met. The number of days spent in the hospital from the start of treatment until discharge will be recorded. By comparing the average hospital stay between the two groups, this study aims to determine whether vitamin C is a useful and safe add-on treatment for severe pneumonia in young children. The findings may help improve care and reduce hospital stay for children with severe pneumonia in the future.

Conditions

Pneumonia Childhood; Vitamin C; Hospital Stay Time

Keywords

Pneumonia; Vitamin C; Hospital Stay

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Hospital Stay

  Duration of Hospital Stay in days

  From randomization to hospital discharge, assessed at discharge (up to 30 days).

Study Arms (2)

Standard care

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Standard care alone

Drug: Antibiotics administration

Adjunct Vitamin C

EXPERIMENTAL

Standard care plus vitamin C

Drug: Antibiotics administration; Drug: Vitamin C

Interventions

Antibiotics administration DRUG

Antibiotics Plus supportive care including oxygen inhalation, intravenous rehydration, and antipyretics

Adjunct Vitamin C; Standard care

Vitamin C DRUG

Standard care (oxygen inhalation, intravenous rehydration, and antipyretics) plus Vitamin C: 200-mg (2 cc = 4 dropper, should be mixed in milk or water) once a day

Also known as: Ascorbic acid

Adjunct Vitamin C

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 2 Months - 59 Months
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• presenting with severe pneumonia
• ≤ 48-hours duration

You may not qualify if:

• Congenital heart disease
• Children with chronic respiratory illnesses i.e. Asthma, post tuberculosis bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis
• Immunosuppressed i.e. primary immune deficiency, malignancy, on steroid therapy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan: lead

Study Sites (1)

Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health

Multan Khurd, Punjab Province, 60000, Pakistan

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pneumonia

Interventions

Ascorbic Acid

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sugar Acids; Acids, Acyclic; Carboxylic Acids; Organic Chemicals; Hydroxy Acids; Carbohydrates

Study Officials

• Ayesha F Assitant Professor, FCPS

  Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Muhammad S Principal Investigator, MBBS

CONTACT

+92 302 2513701; msulaman1432@gmail.com

Ayesha F Assistant Professor, FCPS

CONTACT

+92 333 6163845; drayeshafayyaz@yahoo.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 4
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 4, 2026
• First Posted: February 17, 2026
• Study Start: August 28, 2025
• Primary Completion: February 27, 2026
• Study Completion: February 27, 2026
• Last Updated: February 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PA (1)