Zinc supplementation in acute diarrhea, does it affect copper status?

ABSTRACT

Intervention trials have shown that zinc is efficacious in treating acute diarrhea in children. In randomized double blind controlled clinical trial we evaluated the adverse effect of zinc supplementation on serum copper when used for treatment of mate infants and children [age 3-36 months] suffering from acute diarrhea. The study was carried out at Diarrheal Disease Research and Dehydration Center [DDRRC] at Bab El-Sha'reya University Hospital for one year. One hundred cases with some dehydration according to WHO classification were admitted to hospital and randomized to received either zinc or placebo for 14 days. The following investigations were performed at admission serum Na, K, zinc, copper and hemogram. All cases were asked to come for follow up visit at the end of therapy [14 days from admission data]. At follow up visit serum for zinc and copper was investigated. At admission serum zinc and copper were within normal range in both zinc and placebo groups and without statistically significant difference. The mean duration of diarrhea for zinc treated group was shorter than that in placebo group [46.2 +/- 22.2 versus 48.9 +/- 23.9 hours] but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Only 80 cases were followed up. On follow up visit serum copper was lower in zinc group than that in placebo group but the difference was not statistically significant. It is concluded that zinc supplementation for 14 days in management of acute diarrhea has no effect on serum copper