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8/12/2019 Zinc Supplements Reduce Diarrhea Morbidity in Young Infants
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Zinc Supplements Reduce Diarrhea Morbidity in YoungInfantsJun 04, 2013
By Will Boggs, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jun 04 - Zinc supplements reduce diarrhea morbidity in six- to 11-month-
old infants in populations with high prevalence of wasting and stunting, researchers from India report.
"Physicians, especially those working in primary health care settings and in regions where zinc deficiency
is prevalent, should consider short-course zinc prophylaxis," Dr. Akash Malik from Maulana Azad Medical
College, New Delhi, India, told Reuters Health.
"Children from low socio-economic and other disadvantaged groups are likely to suffer from under-
nutrition and high incidence of diarrhea and may benefit from this intervention."
Zinc supplementation has been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of diarrhea, but the benefits
of short-term prophylaxis has been demonstrated only in children over 12 months of age.
Dr. Malik and colleagues tested a two-week course of zinc in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of
272 infants between the ages of six and 11 months.
In a paper online June 3 in Pediatrics, the authors report on 134 infants in the zinc group and 124 in the
placebo group who completed the study. Nineteen infants in the zinc group and 26 infants in the placebo
group were given an additional week to complete the intervention when they were found to be
noncompliant initially.
At the end of five months, the incidence of diarrhea was 39% lower with zinc vs placebo (6.07 vs 9.90
episodes per child-year) after adjusting for wasting.
In subgroup analyses, zinc treatment was associated with significant decreases in acute diarrhea (a 31%
reduction), persistent diarrhea (a 70% reduction), and dysentery (a 97% reduction).
Overall days with diarrhea were 39% fewer with zinc than with placebo (mean, 10.10 vs 23.19 days;
p
8/12/2019 Zinc Supplements Reduce Diarrhea Morbidity in Young Infants
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"It is difficult to recommend any age on the basis of a single study," Dr. Malik said. "However 20 mg zinc
has been approved by WHO and found to safe for children of six months and above. Initiation of
prophylaxis at six months is most crucial, as (this) age group of six months to 11 months suffers from
maximum burden of diarrhea, though some studies have initiated it as early as from birth but at much
lower doses."
Dr. Malik added, "It is essential to map out zinc deficient populations and conduct similar studies in such
populations especially in children of less than one year of age who suffer from maximum burden of
diarrhea. For example WHO considers populations with stunting >20% to be zinc deficient. Further
studies should be done using a standardized methodology regarding dosage and duration of zinc
supplementation so that a strong evidence base can be made available for the policy makers."
SOURCE:http://bit.ly/ZrliHk
Pediatrics 2013.
Reuters Health Information 2013
http://bit.ly/ZrliHkhttp://bit.ly/ZrliHkhttp://bit.ly/ZrliHkhttp://bit.ly/ZrliHk