Oral zinc supplementation for treating diarrhoea in children

In developing countries, millions of children suffer from severe diarrhoea every year. This is due to infection and malnutrition, and many die from dehydration due to the diarrhoea. Giving fluids by mouth (using an oral rehydration solution) has been shown to save children's lives, but it seems to have no effect on the length of time the children suffer with diarrhoea. Children in developing countries are often zinc deficient. Zinc supplementation is a possible treatment for diarrhoea though it can have adverse effects if given in high doses. The review of trials identified 22 trials involving 8924 children of all ages. Zinc reduced the time that children over the age of six months suffered from symptoms of acute or persistent diarrhoea. However, there were insufficient data to see any impact on the number of children who died. More children vomited when given zinc, but it was considered that the benefits outweighed these adverse effects. Zinc seemed to have no impact on children aged less than six months. In areas where diarrhoea is an important cause of child mortality, research evidence shows zinc is clearly of benefit in children aged six months or more with diarrhoeal diseases.