title: Two weeks of zinc administration to Nepalese children with pneumonia does not reduce the incidence of pneumonia or diarrhea during the next six months.
abstract: Diarrhea and pneumonia are the 2 main causes of death in children under 5 y of age. Short courses of zinc administration are now recommended for treatment of childhood diarrhea and some studies have also shown its beneficial effect on treatment of pneumonia. The objective of our study was to assess the efficacy of zinc administration (10 mg/d for children 2-11 mo and 20 mg/d for >or= 12 mo of age) for 14 d on preventing diarrheal and respiratory illnesses for 6 mo of follow-up. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in children 2-35 mo of age with community-acquired pneumonia. The number of illness episodes and time until the first episode of various illnesses were compared between the 2 study groups. After 14 d of zinc supplementation, plasma zinc was significantly higher in the group receiving zinc. However, this difference was not detectable at 1 and 2.5 mo after the end of zinc administration. Of 2628 enrolled cases, a total of 2599 (99%) were available for assessment after the completion of zinc supplementation. The number of hospital visits and the median number of days until the first episode of pneumonia, diarrhea, and dysentery was similar in the 2 groups. The hazard ratios (95% CI) were 1.02 (0.92, 1.14) for nonsevere pneumonia, 1.11 (0.72, 1.73) for severe pneumonia, 1.07 (0.91, 1.26) for diarrhea, and 0.96 (0.69, 1.34) for dysentery. A short course of zinc supplementation given during an episode of pneumonia did not prevent diarrheal or respiratory illness over the next 6 mo.
authors.affiliation: Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ram K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Chandyo
authors.forename: Prakash S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: Palle
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valentiner-Branth
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mathisen
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basnet
authors.forename: Manjeswori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ulak
authors.forename: Ramesh K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.forename: Halvor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sommerfelt
authors.forename: Tor A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Strand
mesh_terms: D003967:Diarrhea / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D015032:Zinc