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Is zinc that important?

Health

Dear Dr Ombeva,

I read your interesting and educative response in this magazine recently on identifying a child with special needs. I am an ardent reader of medical journals and I tend to have a bias towards emerging trends in the management of diseases. The piece you wrote is timely, considering the burden these conditions pose on the affected kids and their caregivers. My question relates to the increasing use of zinc in healthcare settings. Why are doctors increasingly prescribing zinc to most kids these days? Has zinc suddenly become a major therapeutic tool and a new frontier in the management of a long list of illnesses in children?

Loyal Reader

Dear Loyal Reader,

Zinc is an important mineral required for a number of bodily functions involving energy and metabolism. It helps in protecting a child from diseases. Zinc also plays a role in energy formation, growth, and healing from disease.

Zinc is found in protein-rich foods, such as beans, red meat (beef and lamb), and peanuts. The World Health Organisation estimates that one-third of the world population is at risk of zinc deficiency, and a recent government and Unicef survey on Zinc deficiency found that about 50 per cent of children less than six years of age and 50 per cent of women are affected.

In neighbouring Uganda, one out of every two children with persistent diarrhoea are Zinc deficient, and while more than half of HIV infected children have lower than normal Zinc levels. Children born to Zinc deficient pregnant mothers usually have low birth weight.

The signs of Zinc deficiency include stunted growth, body wasting, diarrhoea; white spots on nails, skin lesions, and frequent illnesses/infections are signs of Zinc deficiency. Other clues include acne, poor memory, eye sight, poor appetite, poor taste, and smell.

Zinc deficient children tend to suffer from more severe forms of diarrhoea and pneumonia. Zinc deficiency may lead to complications of pregnancy and childbirth, lower birth weight and poor growth in childhood

Recent research shows that adding Zinc to usual treatments improves recovery and reduces length of illness and death from pneumonia and diarrhoea among children.

Currently, WHO recommends the use of Zinc (equally effective Zinc gluconate or Zinc sulphate) tablets for ten to 14 days alongside usual treatment for children with diarrhoea.

A child under six months of age needs half a tab (10mg) once a day for ten days. Those above six months get a full 20mg tablet for ten days. This is often done alongside treatment for diarrhoea.

- Dr Ombeva Malande is a paediatrics and child health expert

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