Rerksuppaphol Sanguansak, Rerksuppaphol Lakkana
Department of Paediatric, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Paediatr Int Child Health. 2013 Aug;33(3):145-50. doi: 10.1179/2046905513Y.0000000064.
The common cold is responsible for the largest proportion of school and work absenteeism and is a huge economic burden. None of the currently available interventions is clearly effective for prevention or treatment.
To assess the efficacy of 15-mg chelated zinc (zinc bis-glycinate) given once a day for 3 months during the winter season to healthy school children aged 8-13 years to prevent symptoms of the common cold.
In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, zinc bis-glycinate 15 mg or matching placebo once a day for 3 months was administered to healthy school children aged 8-13 years. Primary outcomes were any symptom of cold (fever, cough, rhinorrhoea) during the study period, and secondary outcomes were vomiting, diarrhoea, use of antibiotics, school absence for any reason, school absence because of a cold and duration of all symptoms.
Of 50 children in each group, 42 (84%) in the zinc group and 41 (82%) in the placebo group (P = 1.00) developed at least one symptom of a cold. There was no difference in the incidence of fever, cough, rhinorrhoea, school absence and school absence related to the common cold compared with children in the placebo group. However, duration of cough [median (IQR) 1.0 (0.0-6.0) vs 6.0 (0.0-13.3) days], rhinorrhoea [median (IQR) 2.0 (0.0-7.0) vs 5.5 (1.0-15.3) days] and the frequency of having two or more symptoms of the common cold [median (IQR) 0.0 (0.0-1.0) vs 1.0 (0.0-5.3) days] were reduced significantly in the intervention group (P<0.01).
Zinc bis-glycinate given in a dose of 15 mg once a day for 3 months failed to reduce the incidence of the common cold in 8 to 13-year-old school children, but decreased the number of days on which children suffered from cough, rhinorrhoea and the likelihood of having two or more symptoms of the common cold.
普通感冒导致学校缺课和工作缺勤的比例最高，是一项巨大的经济负担。目前可用的干预措施中，没有一种对预防或治疗有明显效果。
评估在冬季每天给8至13岁健康学童服用15毫克螯合锌（双甘氨酸锌），持续3个月，预防普通感冒症状的疗效。
在一项双盲随机对照试验中，给8至13岁健康学童每天服用15毫克双甘氨酸锌或匹配的安慰剂，持续3个月。主要结局是研究期间出现的任何感冒症状（发热、咳嗽、流涕），次要结局是呕吐、腹泻、使用抗生素、因任何原因缺课、因感冒缺课以及所有症状的持续时间。
每组50名儿童中，锌组42名（84%）和安慰剂组41名（82%）至少出现一种感冒症状（P = 1.00）。与安慰剂组儿童相比，发热、咳嗽、流涕、缺课以及与普通感冒相关的缺课发生率没有差异。然而，干预组咳嗽持续时间[中位数（四分位间距）1.0（0.0 - 6.0）天对6.0（0.0 - 13.3）天]、流涕持续时间[中位数（四分位间距）2.0（0.0 - 7.0）天对5.5（1.0 - 15.3）天]以及出现两种或更多普通感冒症状的频率[中位数（四分位间距）0.0（0.0 - 1.0）天对1.0（0.0 - 5.3）天]均显著降低（P<0.01）。
每天服用15毫克双甘氨酸锌，持续3个月，未能降低8至13岁学童普通感冒的发生率，但减少了儿童咳嗽、流涕的天数以及出现两种或更多普通感冒症状的可能性。
