Determination of Serum Zinc Levels of under Five Children with Diarrheal Disease

Abstract

The study looked at the serum zinc levels of children under the age of five who had diarrhoea and were being treated at the Federal Medical Centre in Owerri. The researchers also compared the serum zinc levels of children with diarrhoea to age and gender-matched controls. Furthermore, the study determined the relationship between diarrhoea types and frequency of diarrhoea episodes. Diarrhoea is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children below five years of age especially in developing countries.

The study was a comparative cross-sectional study carried out at the Emergency Paediatric Unit, The Children’s Outpatient Clinic and The Children’s Ward of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri. A total of 402 study participants were examined. Structured questionnaires were used to gather data on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, the clinical presentation of the current diarrhoeal episode, and the frequency and duration of diarrhoeal episodes in the previous year. The Varian AA240 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to measure serum zinc levels. Stool microscopy and culture were performed only on subjects. Zinc deficiency was found in 84.1% of children with diarrhoea and 56.2% of children without diarrhoea. When compared to age and gender matched controls, children with diarrhoea had significantly lower mean serum zinc levels (p=0.000). Zinc deficiency was found in all children who had persistent diarrhoea and dysentery. When compared to children with acute watery diarrhoea, children with persistent diarrhoea had significantly lower serum levels. There was a negative relationship between serum zinc level and frequency of stool, duration of current episode of diarrhoea, frequency of diarrhoea episodes, duration of each episode of diarrhoea in the preceding year, and severity of dehydration. The results of this study support the current advice from the World Health Organization that children with diarrhoea should have zinc supplementation. It also suggests that children who have persistent diarrhoea receive longer zinc tablet treatments.