Department of Paediatrics, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Department of Paediatrics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Afr Health Sci. 2020 Mar;20(1):406-412. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v20i1.47.
Zinc deficiency has been associated with increased incidence, severity and duration of childhood diarrhoea.
The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency among under-five children with acute diarrhoea.
The study was a comparative cross-sectional study in which serum zinc levels were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry in under-five children with acute diarrhoea and in apparently healthy contols. Two hundred and fifty children with acute diarrhoea and 250 controls were studied at the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria.
The diarrhoea patients had a mean ± SD serum zinc level of 78.8 ± 35.6 µg/dl, while the controls had a mean of 107.3 ± 46.8 µg/dl. The mean serum zinc level was significantly lower in the patients than the controls (t = -7.66; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the prevalence of zinc deficiency was significantly higher among the patients (30.4% versus 12.4% in the controls; OR = 3.09; 95% CI = 1.94 - 4.90; χ2 = 24.08; p < 0.001). Low social class was associated with a significantly higher prevalence of zinc deficiency among the patients (p = 0.013).
Zinc deficiency is significantly associated with diarrhoea among under-five children in the study community. Hence, routine zinc supplementation should be encouraged for the treatment of diarrhoea, and availability should be ensured.
锌缺乏与儿童腹泻的发病率、严重程度和持续时间增加有关。
本研究旨在确定急性腹泻的 5 岁以下儿童锌缺乏症的患病率。
本研究为比较性横断面研究，使用原子吸收光谱法测定急性腹泻的 5 岁以下儿童和明显健康对照者的血清锌水平。在尼日利亚伊莱萨的卫斯理公会医院，研究了 250 名急性腹泻患儿和 250 名对照者。
腹泻患儿的血清锌水平平均为 78.8 ± 35.6 µg/dl，而对照组的平均水平为 107.3 ± 46.8 µg/dl。患儿的平均血清锌水平明显低于对照组（t = -7.66；p < 0.001）。此外，患儿的锌缺乏症患病率明显更高（30.4%与对照组的 12.4%相比；OR = 3.09；95%CI = 1.94 - 4.90；χ2 = 24.08；p < 0.001）。低社会阶层与患儿锌缺乏症的患病率显著相关（p = 0.013）。
锌缺乏与研究社区 5 岁以下儿童腹泻明显相关。因此，应鼓励常规补锌治疗腹泻，并确保其供应。
