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Excerpt
The authors conducted a double blinded, randomized, controlled trial involving 937 children, 6 to 35 months of age, to evaluate the effects of daily administration of 20 mg of elemental zinc on the duration and severity of acute diarrhea. All children received oral rehydration therapy and vitamin supplements. Among the children receiving the zinc supplementation, a 23% reduction in the risk of continued diarrhea was found. Estimates of the likelihood of recovery according to the day when zinc was started revealed a reduction of 7% in the risk of continued diarrhea during Days 1 to 3 and a reduction of 38% after Day 3. When zinc supplementation was begun within 3 days of the onset of diarrhea, a 39% reduction was noted in the proportion of episodes lasting more than 7 days. In the zinc supplementation group there was a decrease of 39% in the mean number of watery stools per day and a decrease of 21% in the number of days with watery diarrhea. Reductions in the duration and severity of illness were greater in children with diminished growth than in those who had thrived. The authors conclude that in infants and young children with acute diarrhea, zinc supplementation results in a clinically important reduction in both the duration and severity of diarrhea.
