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Efficacy of zinc in young infants with acute watery diarrhea^1,2,3

From The Centre for Health & Population Research, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh (WAB, SKR, ASGF, MAW, KN, AIK, and AFK); the Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (WAB, MS, and REB); and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR (GJF)

Background: Recent studies reported that zinc significantly reduced the duration and volume of acute watery diarrhea in children aged 4 mo, but there were no data specifically on infants aged <6 mo.

Objective: This study investigated the effect of zinc on the duration of illness and the stool quantity in acute watery diarrhea of infants aged 1–6 mo by comparing a 20 mg Zn/d dose with a 5 mg Zn/d dose.

Design: Infants hospitalized with at least some dehydration (by World Health Organization classification) were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Infants were randomly assigned to receive 20 mg Zn (acetate)/d, 5 mg Zn/d, or placebo for the duration of illness.

Results: Two hundred seventy-five infants were enrolled between 20 September 1998 and 18 December 2000. Neither diarrhea duration nor mean stool volume differed between groups. There were no significant differences in fluid intake, the need for unscheduled intravenous fluid, weight gain, or vomiting rates between the groups.

Conclusions: Zinc supplementation did not affect diarrhea duration or stool volume in young infants. Young infants tolerated both zinc doses. A beneficial effect on subsequent illness cannot be ruled out.

Key Words: Acute watery diarrhea • dehydration • zinc • infants • children • Bangladesh • International Center for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research • Bangladesh • ICDDR • B • hospitalized children

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