Zinc with oral rehydration therapy reduces stool output and duration of diarrhea in hospitalized children: a randomized controlled trial

Objectives: The authors evaluated the effect of zinc treatment as an adjunct to oral rehydration therapy on stool output and diarrheal duration in children with acute noncholera diarrhea with dehydration. Methods: This double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at two urban hospitals in New Delhi. A total of 287 dehydrated male patients, ages 3 to 36 months, with diarrhea for 72 hours were enrolled. They were assigned to zinc or placebo by a randomization scheme stratified by age ( or>12 months) and weight for height (65%–80 % or>80 % National Centre for Health Statistics median). Participants in the zinc group received 15 mg (12 months) or 30 mg (>12 months) elemental zinc daily in three divided doses for 14 days. The main outcome measures were stool output and diarrheal duration. Results: Zinc treatment reduced total stool output (ratio of geometric means, 0.69; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.48, 0.99) and stool output per day of diarrhea (ratio of geometric means, 0.76; 95 % CI: 0.59, 0.98). The risk of continued diar-rhea was lower (relative hazards, 0.76; 95 % CI: 0.59, 0.97) and the proportion of diarrheal episodes lasting 5 days (odd