Publication:

Dysentery - a risk factor for zinc deficiency

Background The study was carried out to determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency among under-five children with dysentery, and to compare the prevalence of zinc deficiency in children with dysentery with those who have acute non-bloody diarrhoea.

Methods Serum zinc levels were determined using Atomic absorption spectrometry in under-five children with dysentery as well as those with non-bloody diarrhoea. A total of 250 children with diarrhoea were studied at the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria.

Results Twenty seven (10.8%) of the 250 children had dysentery, while the remaining 223 children had non-bloody watery stools. Children with dysentery had a significantly lower mean serum (SD) zinc level of 65.1 (25.0) µg/dl, compared with a mean (SD) of 80.5 (36.3) µg/dl among those without visible blood in their stools (p = 0.034). Zinc deficiency (serum zinc <65 µg/dl) was also more prevalent among the dysentery group than those without visible blood in their stools (48.1% versus 28.3%; p = 0.034).

Conclusions Presence of visible blood in stools is a risk factor for zinc deficiency among children with diarrhoea.