Bitarakwate Edward, Mworozi Edison, Kekitiinwa Addy
Department of Paeditrics and Child Health, Makerere University Medical School.
Afr Health Sci. 2003 Aug;3(2):54-60.
Despite great advances in the management of diarrhoeal diseases, persistent diarrhoea remains a major problem in developing countries due to its syndromic nature. Zinc depletion ranks high among the factors contributing to the detrimental effects of persistent diarrhoea on the human body. This however, has not been investigated in the Ugandan population.
To determine the serum zinc status of children with persistent diarrhoea.
Cross-sectional descriptive study.
Children aged 6-36 months with persistent diarrhoea were enrolled from the diarrhoea management unit of Mulago hospital. Socio-demographic and morbidity data were collected, and laboratory investigations were carried out after recruitment. Healthy children of similar age and sex were recruited to determine reference levels of serum zinc for comparison.
The mean serum zinc level in the children with persistent diarrhoea was 5.83 mol/l while that of children without diarrhoea was 8.99 mol/l with no age or sex difference. The serum zinc concentration of children with persistent diarrhoea was significantly lower than that of children without diarrhoea (p<0.001). The prevalence of zinc deficiency in children with persistent diarrhoea was 47.9%. Of the children with persistent diarrhoea, 64 (66.7%) were stunted, wasted or both. However no significant association was observed between nutritional status and serum zinc levels. Only hypoproteinaemia was significantly associated with serum zinc levels in these children (p=0.03).
There is a high prevalence of zinc deficiency and malnutrition among Ugandan children with persistent diarrhoea.
尽管腹泻病管理取得了巨大进展，但由于其综合征性质，持续性腹泻仍是发展中国家的一个主要问题。锌缺乏在导致持续性腹泻对人体产生有害影响的因素中排名靠前。然而，这一情况尚未在乌干达人群中得到研究。
确定持续性腹泻儿童的血清锌状况。
横断面描述性研究。
从穆拉戈医院腹泻管理科室招募6至36个月患有持续性腹泻的儿童。收集社会人口统计学和发病数据，并在招募后进行实验室检查。招募年龄和性别相似的健康儿童以确定血清锌的参考水平用于比较。
持续性腹泻儿童的平均血清锌水平为5.83微摩尔/升，而无腹泻儿童的平均血清锌水平为8.99微摩尔/升，且无年龄或性别差异。持续性腹泻儿童的血清锌浓度显著低于无腹泻儿童（p<0.001）。持续性腹泻儿童中锌缺乏的患病率为47.9%。在持续性腹泻儿童中，64名（66.7%）发育迟缓、消瘦或两者皆有。然而，未观察到营养状况与血清锌水平之间存在显著关联。在这些儿童中，只有低蛋白血症与血清锌水平显著相关（p=0.03）。
乌干达患有持续性腹泻的儿童中锌缺乏和营养不良的患病率很高。
