Zinc deficiency in children with short stature : effect of zinc supplementation on growth

Abstract EN

Background & Qbjecilot: Poor growth and delayed maturation may be due, in part, to mild zinc deficiency.

The object of this study was to determine the impact of zinc supplementation on growth in children with short stature.

Methods: This study included 43 children (22 males and 21 females) with short stature assigned to receive either a daily supplement of 60 mg of elemental zinc (n = 31) or a glucose placebo (n = 12) and a normal control group (n = 20).

Serum zinc and serum insulin like growth factor I (IGF- I) levels were measured at baseline and after 6 months of supplementation.

Linear growth rate and other continuous variables, (i.e.

body mass index, mid-arm circumference, percentiles (weight-for-age, height-for -age, weight-for-height, body mass index-for-age) and z score for the body mass index-for-age, were measured for the 6 months' supplementation period.

Results: In the beginning of the study, the mean serum zinc and IGF-l concentrations were significantly lower among the children with short stature than in the controls.

There was an improvement after 6 months of zinc supplementation.

Of the 31 zinc-treated children, 45 % (n = 14) had an improvement in growth (based on change in anthropometric measurements).

The average linear growth rate varied from 2.5 to 3.

3 cm per 6 months among the zinc treated children and the mean weight increased by 10.5 %; whereas, the changes in the placebo group were lower, 1.

2 to 1.

6 cm per 6 months and 5.

1% respectively.

The changes in serum zinc, IGF-l and other continuous variables were significantly higher in the study group than in the placebo group (P < 0.

001 for all parameters).

Conclusion : The results demonstrated that supplementation of zinc for this group of Iraqi children with short stature improved growth parameters.