Effect of zinc supplement on duration of acute watery diarrhea from 6 months to 5 year aged children.

Objective: To determine the effect of Zinc supplement on duration of acute watery diarrhea from 6 months to 5 year aged children. Study Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting: Pediatric Unit, Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan, Pakistan. Period: 1st July 2022 to 31st December 2022. Material & Methods: A total of 100 children aged from 6 months to 5 years presenting with acute watery diarrhea were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 equal groups. In Group-A patients were given oral Zinc supplement at a dose of 20mg daily while in Group-B children were not given oral zinc supplement. Follow up visit was set on day 3 after start of treatment. Primary outcome was set as frequency of diarrheal episodes during 24 hours while the secondary outcome was character of stool. Results: The Mean±SD of age in this study was 13.51±6.27 months with an age range of 6-30 months. The ratio of male gender was higher than female (59% Vs 41%). Clinical outcomes showed a significant decrease in frequency of diarrheal episodes (3.88±1.11 vs 4.58±1.03, p=0.001) and in number of children with watery stool (42% vs 70%, p=0.05) in Group-A compared to group-B. Number of children recovering from diarrhea was higher in group-A compared to group-B (14% vs 2%, p=0.026). Conclusion: Zinc supplement significantly reduces frequency of diarrheal episodes and improves character of stool in children with acute watery diarrhea aged from 6 months to 5 year.