THE IMPORTANCE OF ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION IN TREATMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH ACUTE WATERY DIARRHOEA

Objective: The aim of this study was to know the role of zinc supplementation in young children with acute watery diarrhoea.

Study design: A semi-experimental study.

Place and Duration: In the Pediatric Medicine Department of Services Hospital, Lahore for one year duration from April 2017 to March 2018.

Methods: The sample was taken by any conformity technique and 300 children from both sexes were included in the aging of acute water diarrhoea from 6 months to 02 years. These cases were divided into two groups, first as a study group of 150 patients, 20 mg of zinc per day, then 150 patients treated without zinc supplementation control group. On the 7th and 14th days, the decrease in bowel movements was compared between the two groups.

Results: The total number of patients in our study was 300. The mean age of the study group was 13.1 ± 6.3 months and the mean age of the study group was 13.1 ± 6.4 months. In the first control examination in the study group, the mean bowel movements were 3.2 ± 1.5 and 4.2 ± 1.6 bowel movements in the control group. The mean frequency of bowel movement was 2.5 ± 2.0 in the study group and 3.6 ± 2.3 in the control group. In the distribution of the results, 122 (81.3%) patients in the study group recovered and 28 (18.7%) did not recover after two weeks of treatment. In the control group, 107 (71.3%) patients recovered and 43 (28.7%) patients did not recover.

Conclusion: Zinc supplementation is effective in reducing the frequency and severity of acute watery diarrhoea in children.

Key words: zinc supplementation, acute watery diarrhoea, ORS.