Publication:
A randomized controlled trial of chelated zinc for prevention of the common cold in thai school children

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Issued Date

2013

Resource Type

Article

File Type

application/pdf

ISSN

20469047

DOI

10.1179/2046905513Y.0000000064

Other identifier(s)

2-s2.0-84881483563

Rights Holder(s)

มหาวิทยาลัยศรีนครินทรวิโรฒ

Bibliographic Citation

Paediatrics and International Child Health. Vol 33, No.3 (2013), p.145-150

Suggested Citation

Rerksuppaphol S., Rerksuppaphol L. A randomized controlled trial of chelated zinc for prevention of the common cold in thai school children. Paediatrics and International Child Health. Vol 33, No.3 (2013), p.145-150. doi:10.1179/2046905513Y.0000000064 Retrieved from: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14740/6599

Title

A randomized controlled trial of chelated zinc for prevention of the common cold in thai school children

Author(s)

Rerksuppaphol S.
 Rerksuppaphol L.

Abstract

Background: The common cold is responsible for the largest proportion of school and work absenteeism and is a huge economic burden. None of the currently available interventions is clearly effective for prevention or treatment. Objective: To assess the efficacy of 15-mg chelated zinc (zinc bis-glycinate) given once a day for 3 months during the winter season to healthy school children aged 8-13 years to prevent symptoms of the common cold. Methods: In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, zinc bis-glycinate 15 mg or matching placebo once a day for 3 months was administered to healthy school children aged 8-13 years. Primary outcomes were any symptom of cold (fever, cough, rhinorrhoea) during the study period, and secondary outcomes were vomiting, diarrhoea, use of antibiotics, school absence for any reason, school absence because of a cold and duration of all symptoms. Results: Of 50 children in each group, 42 (84%) in the zinc group and 41 (82%) in the placebo group (P=1.00) developed at least one symptom of a cold. There was no difference in the incidence of fever, cough, rhinorrhoea, school absence and school absence related to the common cold compared with children in the placebo group. However, duration of cough [median (IQR) 1.0 (0.0-6.0) vs 6.0 (0.0-13.3) days], rhinorrhoea [median (IQR) 2.0 (0.0-7.0) vs 5.5 (1.0-15.3) days] and the frequency of having two or more symptoms of the common cold [median (IQR) 0.0 (0.0-1.0) vs 1.0 (0.0-5.3) days] were reduced significantly in the intervention group (P<0.01). Conclusions: Zinc bis-glycinate given in a dose of 15 mg once a day for 3 months failed to reduce the incidence of the common cold in 8 to 13-year-old school children, but decreased the number of days on which children suffered from cough, rhinorrhoea and the likelihood of having two or more symptoms of the common cold. © W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2013.

Subject(s)

Antibiotic agent
 Placebo
 Qualimed
 Unclassified drug
 Zinc bisglycinate
 Zinc derivative
 Absence of side effects
 Absenteeism
 Adolescent
 Antibiotic therapy
 Article
 Child
 Common cold
 Controlled study
 Coughing
 Diarrhea
 Disease duration
 Double blind procedure
 Drug efficacy
 Female
 Fever
 Human
 Incidence
 Male
 Normal human
 Randomized controlled trial
 Rhinorrhea
 School child
 Taste disorder
 Thailand
 Vomiting
 Winter
 Adolescent
 Chemoprevention
 Child
 Common Cold
 Double-Blind Method
 Female
 Glycine
 Humans
 Incidence
 Male
 Placebos
 Schools
 Thailand
 Treatment Outcome

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URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14740/6599

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Scopus: Year 1983-2021

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