INCREASED DIARRHEAL AND RESPIRATORY MORBIDITY IN ASSOCIATION WITH ZINC-DEFICIENCY - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Plasma zinc levels, in a cohort of 116 children aged 12-59 months rece ntly recovered from an episode of acute diarrhoea attending a communit y health clinic in an urban slum, were related to diarrhoeal and respi ratory morbidity in the 3 month period following recovery. Children wi th low plasma zinc levels (< 60 mu g dl(-1)) spent a significantly gre ater number of days with watery diarrhoea (rate ratio 1.69 (95% confid ence intervals 1.03-2.78)), diarrhoea associated with fever (rate rati o 1.88 (95% confidence intervals 1.05-3.34)), and acute lower respirat ory tract infections (rate ratio 2.69 (95% confidence intervals 1.64-4 .38)).