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

• Published in: Paediatrics and international child health 2013-08, Vol.33 (3), p.145-150
• Main Authors: Rerksuppaphol, Sanguansak, Rerksuppaphol, Lakkana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Chelated zinc; Chemoprevention - methods; Child; Common cold; Common Cold - epidemiology; Common Cold - pathology; Common Cold - prevention & control; Cough; Double-Blind Method; Female; Fever; General aspects; Glycine - administration & dosage; Glycine - analogs & derivatives; Human viral diseases; Humans; Incidence; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Placebos - administration & dosage; Pneumology; Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases; School children; Schools; Thailand; Treatment Outcome; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the respiratory system and ent viral diseases; Zinc bis-glycinate
• ISSN: 2046-9047; 2046-9055
• DOI: 10.1179/2046905513Y.0000000064

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