Serum Zinc Level in Children with Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection.

Background: Pediatric respiratory disease remains an important cause of morbidity in both the developing and the developed world. Pneumonias and inflammatory process develops in alveoli and interstitium as a response to infection- causing factors such as bacteria and viruses. Since pneumonia in infancy is difficult to discriminate from acute bronchiolitis, the term acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) inclusive of these both diseases is used. Zincis a micronutrient with important roles in growth and in the immune, nervous and reproductive systems. Regular dietary intake of zinc is necessary because the human body cannot produce zinc and does not have an adequate mechanism for storing or releasing it. Objective: was to evaluate serum zinc level in children with ALRTI. Patients and Methods: Serum zinc level in children with ALRTI. 80 patients (subdivided into 3 groups according to severity of infection) compared to 20 normal individuals were included in this study. Results: there was highly statistical significant difference between all patients and control groups as regard serum zinc level (mean of serum vitamin D level in patients and control groups were 56.413 ±29.474 and 90.135 ± 17.345 respectively, p=<0.0001). Conclusion: Zinc deficiency occurs in the majority of recurrent respiratory infection in children and therefore a decreased serum zinc level is considered an additional risk factor for recurrent respiratory infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]