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| Title: | Effect of zinc and vitamin A supplementation in undernourished children with persistent diarrhoea in Bangladesh(abstract) |
| Authors: | Khatun, F.
Roy, S.K.
Malek, M.A.
Wahed, M.A.
Sarkar, N.R.
Saifuddin, N.M.
Islam, Q.E.
Fuchs, G.J. |
| Keywords: | Vitamin A
Zinc
Diarrhea, Infantile |
| Issue Date: | Mar-1998 |
| Citation: | J Diarrhoeal Dis Res 1998 Mar;16(1):44-5 |
| Series/Report no.: | 1998 Mar;16(1):44-5 |
| Abstract: | Objective: Evaluate and compare the efficacy of vitamin A and/or zinc supplementation on the clinical course of persistent diarrhoea in Bangladeshi children.
Methodology: A double-blind randomized, controlled trial was carried out with 96 moderately malnourished children (60%-75% of wt./age of 50th centile of NCHS standard) aged 6 months io 3 years with diarrhoea for more than 14 days. Children were randomly allocated in 4 groups. Each group (n=24) received either zinc (20 mg elemental zinc in two divided doses per day), or vitamin A (total 200,000 IU in twice daily doses over 7 days) or both (zinc plus vitamin A in a multivitamin syrup); and the control group received only multi vitamins (except vitamin A) equal to that of the treatment groups for 7 days. Clinical data were collected by a physician, and stool output, consistency, and frequency were recorded by using metabolic balance for 7 days.
Results: The baseline characteristics of the 4 study groups were comparable. The total diarrhoea! stool output among the 4 groups over 7 days was significantly different (p<0.02). Cumulative stool weight reduced significantly (p<0.0001) from day 2 to day 7 in the children receiving zinc compared to the control group and also significantly reduced (p<0.02) from day 5 to day 7 in the children receiving vitamin A compared to the control group. Differences between zinc and vitamin A or zinc vs. zinc plus vitamin A were not significant (p=0.5, p=0.7 respectively). The cumulative stool frequency significantly reduced from day 4 to day 7 in the zinc group compared to the control group (p<0.001). No significant differences were found between any other pairs. The net gain in the body weight over the 7-day study period was significant only in the children receiving zinc compared to the control group (+100 g vs. -40 g, p<0.04). The percentage of children who had clinical recovery (passage of soft stool was taken as recovery) within 7 days was significantly greater in the zinc group (86%) compared to the control group (48%, p=0.007) or vitamin A (48%, p=0.007), but not with zinc plus vitamin A (68%, p=0.14).
Conclusion: The results indicate that zinc supplementation in persistent diarrhoea reduces stool output along with frequency, and promotes earlier recovery; and strongly suggest that zinc supplementation is a standard management for undernourished children with persistent diarrhoea |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/346 |
| ISSN: | 0253-8768 |
| Appears in Collections: | Child health conference papers
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| 1998-JDiarDisRes-44-KhatunF.pdf | | 82Kb | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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