Clinical Trial: Efficacy of Zinc Sulfate With Probiotics for the Treatment of Acute Diarrhea in Children

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Unknown status
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Effectiveness and Efficacy of Zinc With Probiotics for the Treatment of Acute Diarrhea in Young Children

Brief Summary: Diarrheal disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in children under five. Disease is treated symptomatically with oral rehydration (ORS) as a basic measure. In children with severe zinc deficiency, diarrhea is common and responds quickly to zinc supplementation. Zinc supplementation may also helpful in diarrheal children without zinc deficiency. Effectiveness of zinc was proven in developing countries but was not in Europe. Objective of our study is to assess whether zinc supplementation given with probiotics and ORS is effective in acute diarrhea in children in Poland.

Detailed Summary:

A double-blind, placebo controlled trial

- We are going to enroll 256 patients (aged > 1 months to 36 months) with acute watery diarrhea defined as 3 d or more watery stools per day lasting not less than 1 day and not longer than 5 days.

Exclusion criteria:

severe dehydration (> 10%) Coexisting severe infection (E.g. Sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis) Immune deficiency Chronic digestive tract disease (e.g. celiac diseases, food allergy) Therapy with Antibiotics

Patients will be randomly assigned to 2 groups to receive: (a) zinc sulfate 10-20 mg/day for 10 days plus probiotics for 5 days (b) placebo for 10 days plus probiotics for 5 days. Patients will be observed in ambulatory or in the hospital (if necessary) and followed up for 15 days.

Randomization 1:1


Sponsor: University Hospital No 1 Wroclaw

Current Primary Outcome: Period of diarrhea in hours [ Time Frame: 15 days ]

The primary endpoint of our study is the time of acute diarrhea


Original Primary Outcome: lasting of diarhoea in hours [ Time Frame: 15 days ]

The primary endpoint of our study is time of acute diarhoe


Current Secondary Outcome: number of stools in consequent days [ Time Frame: 15 days ]

The secondary end points will be number of stools per day, necessity of hospitalization or not, tolerability and adherence to the therapy


Original Secondary Outcome: number of stools in consequent days [ Time Frame: 15 days ]

Tghw secondary end points will be number of stools per day, hospitalization or not, tolerability and adherence to the therapy


Information By: University Hospital No 1 Wroclaw

Dates:
Date Received: June 7, 2010
Date Started: July 2010
Date Completion: June 2012
Last Updated: June 9, 2010
Last Verified: June 2010