Zinc Level among Children with Acute Gastroenteritis: A Study in Ahvaz, Iran

Background and Objectives Acute gastroenteritis is among the leading causes of mortality in developing countries. The present study aimed to compare zinc levels in children with and without acute gastroenteritis. Subjects and Methods This case-control study was conducted on children with acute gastroenteritis and age and gender-matched control group without gastroenteritis. A total of 80 children with acute gastroenteritis and 80 children without gastroenteritis were included. The control group was selected from among patients admitted to the pediatric surgery ward for a minor surgery. The case and control groups were matched regarding age and gender. The inclusion criteria for the control group were as follows: onset of diarrhea less than 48 hours, the age range of 6-12 years old, and clinical manifestation of diarrhea. On the other hand, evidence of chronic disease, zinc supplementation within three months before hospitalization, and duration of diarrhea more than seven were considered the exclusion criteria. This study was approved by the ethical committee of the university. Results Out of 160 participants (80 cases and 80 control), 89(55.6%) cases were male, and 71(44.4%) subjects were female. The mean age of the participants was 3.35±2.21 years (aged 1-10 years). There was no difference between case and control groups in terms of age and gender. The mean zinc level was significantly lower in cases (72.76±26.39) than in controls (91.15±17.76). Zinc level in children aged < 5 years was significantly less in the case group compared to that in the control group, while in children aged > 5 years, no significant difference was observed(P=0.85). Conclusion As evidenced by the obtained results, serum zinc level was significantly lower in children with gastroenteritis compared to that in their counterparts without this problem.