Increased diarrhoeal and respiratory morbidity in association with zinc deficiency--a preliminary report.
Plasma zinc levels, in a cohort of 116 children aged 12-59 months recently recovered from an episode of acute diarrhoea attending a community health clinic in an urban slum, were related to diarrhoeal and respiratory morbidity in the 3 month period following recovery. Children with low plasma zinc levels (< 60 micrograms dl-1) spent a significantly greater number of days with watery diarrhoea (rate ratio 1.69 (95% confidence intervals 1.03-2.78)), diarrhoea associated with fever (rate ratio 1.88 (95% confidence intervals 1.05-3.34)), and acute lower respiratory tract infections (rate ratio 2.69 (95% confidence intervals 1.64-4.38)).
Bhandari
N
N
Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Bahl
R
R
Hambidge
K M
KM
Bhan
M K
MK
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency*
D015032:Zinc