• Olufunmilola O Abolurin, Oyeku A Oyelami, and Saheed B Oseni.
• Department of Paediatrics, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
• Afr Health Sci. 2020 Mar 1; 20 (1): 406-412.

BackgroundZinc deficiency has been associated with increased incidence, severity and duration of childhood diarrhoea.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency among under-five children with acute diarrhoea.MethodsThe study was a comparative cross-sectional study in which serum zinc levels were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry in under-five children with acute diarrhoea and in apparently healthy contols. Two hundred and fifty children with acute diarrhoea and 250 controls were studied at the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria.ResultsThe diarrhoea patients had a mean ± SD serum zinc level of 78.8 ± 35.6 µg/dl, while the controls had a mean of 107.3 ± 46.8 µg/dl. The mean serum zinc level was significantly lower in the patients than the controls (t = -7.66; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the prevalence of zinc deficiency was significantly higher among the patients (30.4% versus 12.4% in the controls; OR = 3.09; 95% CI = 1.94 - 4.90; χ2 = 24.08; p < 0.001). Low social class was associated with a significantly higher prevalence of zinc deficiency among the patients (p = 0.013).ConclusionZinc deficiency is significantly associated with diarrhoea among under-five children in the study community. Hence, routine zinc supplementation should be encouraged for the treatment of diarrhoea, and availability should be ensured.© 2020 Abolurin OO et al.

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