Prognostic value of serum zinc concentration determination in young children during the course of infectious diarrhea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14739/2310-1210.2025.1.316104Keywords:
infectious diarrhea, viral infection, bacterial infection, prognosis, zinc, children, early age, risk factorsAbstract
Aim. To develop a model for predicting the course of infectious diarrhea (ID) in young children based on the determination of serum zinc (Zn) concentration influence on the clinical scores of these patients.
Materials and methods. The study included 99 children aged between 1 and 36 months who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute intestinal infection within the first three days of the disease onset. Serum Zn levels were determined by the colorimetric method. Non-parametric statistical methods were used to process the obtained data, since the distribution of indicators did not correspond to the normal one. A correlation analysis with the Spearman correlation coefficient (r) calculation was used to determine the influence of serum Zn concentrations on the ID course. A regression analysis then followed selecting the preferred version of the regression equation in each particular case, ranked according to the value of the determination coefficient R2.
Results. A decrease in serum Zn concentrations was found in 22 (22.22 %) children of the examined group. Low serum Zn concentrations on the 1st and 3rd days of treatment were associated with a higher frequency of loose stools on the 7th day of hospitalization (r = -0.68 and r = -0.51, respectively; p < 0.05). We have constructed a pairwise linear regression model according to which the duration of diarrhea in patients with ID can be determined if the serum Zn level on the 1st hospitalization day is known. The relationship found can be estimated by the paired linear regression equation: y = 0.5638x + 10.348, where y – is the duration of diarrhea (days), x – is the serum Zn concentration (μmol/l) on the 1st hospitalization day. The model determination coefficient R2 = 0.5 (p ˂ 0.001) was considered statistically significant. From this equation it follows that diarrhea lasts more than 5 days with a serum Zn concentration below 9.8 μmol/l.
Conclusions. Every fifth child was diagnosed with serum Zn deficiency. Decreased serum Zn concentrations below reference values on the 1st day of treatment affected the diarrheal syndrome duration being associated with its period of more than 5 days. To predict the duration of diarrheal syndrome in young children, the formula y = 0.5638х + 10.348, where y is the duration of diarrhea (days), x is the serum Zn concentration on the 1st day of hospitalization (μmol/l), should be used.
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