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THE IMPACT OF ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY OF SEVERE PNEUMONIA IN CHILDREN 2 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS OF AGE

Syedah Sana Batool Rizvi, Irum Batool, Shumaila Chaudery

Introduction: Pneumonia is an illness usually caused by infection in which lung parenchyma become inflamed and congested reducing oxygen exchange and leading to cough and breathlessness. Zinc is an important trace element in body. Meat, shellfish, legumes, cheese and whole grains are sources of zinc. Zinc plays an important role in maintaining normal immune function. Mild to moderate zinc deficiency impairs the function of immune response thus reduces the resistance to infection and reduces the lymphocyte effectiveness. Objective: The objective of this study was to Compare the mean length of hospital stay in children 2- 24 months of age with severe pneumonia, treated with antibiotics with and without zinc supplementation. Material and Methods: It was a Randomized Controlled Trial. This study was carried out in the medical unit of The Children Hospital and Institution of child Health, Lahore and the duration of this study was 6 months’ period after the approval of synopsis from 06 September 2014 to 05 march 2015. Results: In our study, out of 200 cases(100 in each group), 38%(n=38) in Zinc Group and 32%(n=32) without Zinc group were between 2-12 months of age while 62%(n=62) in Zinc and 68%(n=68) in without Zinc were between 13-24 months of age, mean+sd was calcualted as 13.90+6.02 and 15.27+5.97 years respectively, 54%(n=54) in Zinc Group and 58%(n=58) without Zinc group were male while 46%(n=46) in Zinc and 42%(n=42) in without Zinc were females, comparison of mean length of hospital stay in children in both groups was recorded as 3.69+0.98 in Zinc and 4.7+1.09 days in without Zinc group, p value was calculated as 0.0001 showing a significant difference. Conclusion: We concluded that the mean length of hospital stays in children 2- 24 months of age with severe pneumonia, treated with antibiotics with zinc supplementation is significnatly lower when compared without zinc supplementation. KEYWORDS: Severe Pneumonia, Management, Antibiotics with and Without Zinc Supplementation, Comparison, Hospital Stay.