Zinc Reduces Death in Children with Diarrhea

A large international study has found that zinc therapy can lower the incidence of diarrhea in children, reduce their rates of hospitalization, and lower their noninjury death rate by 50%. The findings were reported in the November 9, 2002, issue of the British Medical Journal.

The study involved 8,070 Bangladeshi children during episodes of diarrhea. The children who were treated received 20 mg elemental zinc daily for 14 days during each episode of diarrhea in addition to oral rehydration therapy (ORS). The ORS use increased by 20% and antibiotic use decreased by 60% in the zinc clusters.
Despite many advances, diarrheal diseases and the resulting dehydration are still responsible for the deaths of about two million children every year. Most cases occur in developing, resource-poor countries, where children suffer from malnutrition and where access to clean water, safe sanitation, and health facilities are limited. A recent meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) reviewed the findings of this and other zinc trials and concluded that zinc supplements are efficacious in reducing the severity and duration of diarrhea.
"The lower rates of child morbidity and mortality with zinc therapy represent substantial benefits from a simple and inexpensive intervention that can be incorpo-rated within existing diarrheal disease control efforts, which should significantly improve child health and survival,” said Abdullah Baqui, MPH, associate professor, international health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Research (Baltimore, MD, USA) and author of the study.



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