Does age affect the response to zinc therapy for diarrhoea in Bangladeshi infants?
The benefit of zinc for the treatment of diarrhoea in a cluster-randomized trial of children, aged 3-59 months, living in rural Bangladesh was previously reported. Here, the benefits of zinc stratified by age--3-5 months, 6-11 months, and 12-59 months--are reported. Although the sample sizes in the stratified groups were too small to detect statistical significance in the 3-5-month and 6-11-month age-groups, the trends suggest that there may be a benefit of zinc for the treatment of diarrhoea on the duration of diarrhoea and on subsequent morbidity and mortality. Additional research is needed to better understand the effect of zinc for the treatment of diarrhoea among infants aged less than six months.
Fischer Walker
Christa L
CL
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room E5543, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. cfischer@jhsph.edu
Black
Robert E
RE
Baqui
Abdullah H
AH
D000367:Age Factors; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001459:Bangladesh; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000930:Antidiarrheals; D015032:Zinc