The effect of zinc sulphate on improving the clinical symptoms of pneumonia in children: A Double blind clinical trial

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of zinc sulfate on improving the clinical symptoms of pneumonia children. Materials and methods: A clinical study was conducted in the Department of PaediatricsKalawati Saran Children Hospital, New Delhi, India for 16 months. The children with pneumonia were randomly assigned into intervention (n=60), and control (n=60) groups. The control group received placebo. On the other hand, the intervention group received zinc sulphate as 10 mg/day in children younger than one, and 20 mg/day in children above one year-old every 12 hours (during hospitalization). During hospitalization, every 12 hours the clinical symptoms of both groups including tachypnea (number of breaths), coughs, fever, intercostal retraction, hypoxia, crackles, wheezing, lethargy, and duration of hospitalization were evaluated. Results: Out of 120, 60 patients were included to the intervention and 60 to the control groups. The gender distribution of the tested patients was 58.33% boys and 41.67% girls. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, and weight. The mean age in the intervention group was 13.86+0.779 and in the control it was 12.06+0.689 (p>0.05). The mean age of hospitalization in the case and control groups was 14.11+0.787 and 12.65+0.853 months, respectively, which was not statistically significant (p=0.487). The mean duration of hospitalization cases and control groups was 5.2+0.278 and 5.22+0.287 days respectively; based on the Mann-Whitney test, there was no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.185). The mean serum level of zinc in the intervention group (receiving zinc sulfate syrup) was 70.19(11.5) and 93.7(12.7) mcg/dl at the baseline and at the end of hospitalization respectively (p<0.001); while the mean serum level of zinc in the control group (receiving placebo) was 70.7(10.4) and 71.4(10.3)mcg/dl at the beginning and end of hospitalization respectively (p=0.45). According to Chi-square test, there was no significant difference between the two groups when comparing the presence or absence of tachypnea during hospitalization, as well as 12 and 24 hours post-hospitalization. However, at 36 hours post-hospitalization, there was a significant difference (p=0.01). Conclusion: we conclude that oral zinc sulfate supplement be considered for pediatric patients hospitalized due to pneumonia, in addition to the standard and conventional pharmacotherapy of pneumonia.