SERUM ZINC LEVELS AND THE SPECTRUM OF DIARRHEA IN CHILDREN (6 MONTHS TO 5 YEARS): ACUTE, CHRONIC, AND PERSISTENT PRESENTATIONS.

Diarrhea causes an estimated 2.5 million child deaths in developing countries each year. It is the third leading killer of children in India today and is responsible for 13% of all deaths in children less than five years of age and kills an estimated 300,000 children in India each year. Diarrhea is one of the clinical manifestations of zinc deficiency in humans. 25 children (aged 6 months-5 years) of either sex suffering from diarrhea and admitted in paediatric ward and emergency of RDJMMCH, Muzaffarpur were selected for the study. Serum zinc levels were estimated by colorimetric kit method and compared with those of 25 healthy age-matched controls. It was observed that the serum zinc levels were significantly lower in children suffering from diarrhea (39.26 ± 12.18 vs. 78.60 ± 11.63 µg/dl, p<0.05). However, there was a negligible correlation between diarrhea and gender. Thus, diarrhea is associated with an increased loss of zinc in feces so that children with diarrhea would be at an increased risk of zinc deficiency. Zinc supplementation is now being recommended by WHO, UNICEF, and countries around the world for the supportive treatment of all diarrhea episodes among children, and this should be encouraged in routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]