Summary
This randomised controlled trial of 140 apparently healthy Egyptian children aged 6 months to under 5 years evaluated whether 4 months of daily zinc supplementation reduced diarrhoeal morbidity. Baseline serum zinc was low (mean 51.08 μg/dL) in 70% of participants. Both cumulative diarrhoeal incidence and severity (stool frequency and episode count) decreased significantly in the zinc-supplemented group relative to placebo, with a risk ratio of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.64–0.97).
Regional applicability
This study was conducted in Egypt and recruited children from an urban hospital outpatient clinic. While the findings are relevant to zinc-responsive populations with documented deficiency, transferability to United Kingdom practice is limited, given that zinc deficiency is less prevalent in well-nourished UK populations and supplementation protocols differ; however, the trial design and endpoints provide useful evidence for global child health policy in lower-income settings.
Key measures
Baseline serum zinc concentration (μg/dL); cumulative incidence of diarrhoea; number of diarrhoeal episodes per child; stool frequency per day; risk ratio with 95% confidence interval
Outcomes reported
The study measured serum zinc levels at baseline and assessed the cumulative incidence of diarrhoea, number of diarrhoeal episodes per child, and stool frequency over 4 months of supplementation. Both diarrhoeal incidence and severity were significantly reduced in the zinc-supplemented group compared with placebo.
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