Randomised controlled trial of zinc supplementation in malnourished Bangladeshi children with acute diarrhoea

<h3>OBJECTIVE</h3> To evaluate the impact of zinc supplementation on the clinical course, stool weight, duration of diarrhoea, changes in serum zinc, and body weight gain of children with acute diarrhoea. <h3>DESIGN</h3> Randomised double blind controlled trial. Children were assigned to receive zinc (20 mg elemental zinc per day) containing multivitamins or control group (zinc-free multivitamins) daily in three divided doses for two weeks. <h3>SETTING</h3> A diarrhoeal disease hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. <h3>PATIENTS</h3> 111 children, 3 to 24 months old, below 76% median weight for age of the National Center for Health Statistics standard with acute diarrhoea. Children with severe infection and/or oedema were excluded. <h3>MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES</h3> Total diarrhoeal stool output, duration of diarrhoea, rate of weight gain, and changes…