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Serum Zinc Levels as a Predictor of Severity of Acute Diarrhea

Astha Agarwal1, Navratan Kumar Gupta1, Amit Upadhyay2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, LLRM, Medical College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|November 21, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Lower serum zinc levels are linked to dehydration and rotavirus diarrhea in children. Hospitalization also correlates with reduced zinc, but diarrhea duration does not. This highlights zinc

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Diarrhea is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality globally.
  • Zinc deficiency is prevalent in many developing countries and can impair immune function.
  • Understanding the role of micronutrients like zinc in diarrheal diseases is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between serum zinc levels and the severity of diarrhea in children.
  • To evaluate if serum zinc levels differ based on hydration status, duration of diarrhea, and need for hospitalization.
  • To compare serum zinc levels in children with and without rotavirus infection.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective observational study was conducted involving 254 children aged 6 months to 5 years presenting with diarrhea.
  • Serum zinc levels were measured in a subset of 198 children.
  • Diarrhea severity was assessed by hydration status, duration, hospitalization, and rotavirus testing.

Main Results:

  • Children with dehydration showed significantly lower serum zinc levels (69.64 IQR 54.57-81.62 μg/dl) compared to those without dehydration (82.86 IQR 64.1-103.48 μg/dl).
  • Hospitalized children had lower serum zinc levels (63.28 IQR 51.81-85.37 μg/dl) than non-hospitalized children (74.86 IQR 61.75-95.78 μg/dl).
  • Children with rotavirus diarrhea had significantly lower serum zinc levels (66.8 IQR 49.7-82.48 μg/dl) compared to those with non-rotavirus diarrhea (80.0 IQR 62.42-100.12 μg/dl).

Conclusions:

  • Lower serum zinc levels are associated with dehydration and rotavirus-induced diarrhea in children.
  • Hospitalized children with diarrhea tend to have diminished serum zinc concentrations.
  • Serum zinc levels did not correlate with the duration of diarrhea.
Abstract

Keywords:
DehydrationDiarrheaDurationRotavirusZinc levels

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