Effectiveness of Zinc Supplementation Plus Oral Rehydration Salts Compared With Oral Rehydration Salts Alone as a Treatment for Acute Diarrhea in a Primary Care Setting: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Abstract

Diarrhea is more effectively treated when caregivers receive education on zinc supplementation and have ready access to supplies of oral rehydration salts and zinc, and this approach does not adversely affect the use of oral rehydration salts; in fact, it greatly increases use of the same.

Effectiveness of zinc supplementation plus oral rehydration salts for diarrhoea in infants aged less than 6 months in Haryana state, India

“…20 That trial was designed to explore the impact, under real-life conditions, of implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund recommendation to use zinc. 21 We did not give placebo to children at control sites because we also wanted to determine whether using zinc led to a decrease in the use of ORS.…”

Prophylactic zinc supplementation for prevention of acute respiratory infections in infants and young children

“…Two meta-analyses in 1999 and 2007 reported a beneficial effect in preventing pneumonia in children [6,7]. Subsequently, in 2008, Roth, et al [8] evaluated the…”

“…This is the first study designed to evaluate the effect of preventive short-course zinc supplementation on the occurrence and severity of subsequent upper and lower respiratory tract infections among infants. Previously published estimates of the effects of short-course zinc supplementation on ARI outcomes have originated from one Bangladeshi study of children aged 12-35 months [5], and three trials assessing ALRI outcomes in the months following zinc treatment for diarrhea among children aged 2-59 months [6][7][8].…”

Achievements and challenges for the use of killed oral cholera vaccines in the global stockpile era

“…8 Oral zinc in children under 5 y of age, although not essential for treatment, has been found to be important in assisting with regeneration of the intestinal epithelium and has shown to reduce duration and severity of diarrheal episodes, as well as possibly preventing future episodes of diarrhea for up to 3 months. [9][10][11] Antimicrobial therapy as an adjunct to fluid resuscitation has been shown to decrease the duration and volume of diarrhea by approximately 50% in cholera patients with severe dehydration. 12,13 In addition, antibiotics also contribute to stopping the excretion of vibrio more rapidly, reducing the risk of transmission when the patient returns to the community.…”