Effect of Zinc Gluconate Supplementation on Weight Gain in Preterm Infants with Very Low Birth Weight| Stephy Publishers

 


Stephy Publishers:  SOJ Pediatrics and Clinical Neonatology (SOJPCN)


Abstract

Objective: To know the effect of zinc supplementation on weight gain on premature newborns with very low birth weight.
Material and Methods: Randomized, blinded clinical trial, assigned to two groups: with zinc supplementation and placebo. Both with milk intake higher than 100ml/kg/day. We evaluated the absolute and relative growth speed, comorbidities, hospital stay and adverse reactions. We used Student´s t-distribution for the comparison of continuous variables, Mann-Whitney U test for nonparametric variables, X2 for categorical variables, and simple regression analysis for absolute and relative growth rate. P<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: We studied 56 patients, 28 in each group. The growth speed was higher in the supplemented group from the second week of treatment. The absolute and relative growth rate was 20.23±2.8g/day and 19.63±5.1g/kg/day in the zinc group and 17.13±3.5 g/day and 15.22±3.0g/kg/day in the placebo group, with p=0.0003 and 0.0001 respectively. The absolute and relative growth speed increased 3,104g/day (95%CI: 1,414-4,793) and 4,407g/kg/day (95% CI: 2,132-6,683) more in patients with zinc. There were no differences in morbidity or hospital stay and no adverse secondary reactions to the administration of zinc were detected.
Conclusions: The administration of zinc produces an increase in the growth rate of premature newborns with very low birth weight.

Keywords: Newborn, Premature, Zinc gluconate, Growth


Introduction

Zinc is an essential nutrient that acts as an important cofactor of different enzymes that regulate the cellular growth and the hormonal levels.1 It is a micronutrient distributed all over the body that has critical effects for the child development. It participates in the cellular division and its growth. Also, it stimulates the absorption of electrolytes at the intestinal level, the neurotransmission, immune response, enzymatic catalysis, stabilization and functionality of membrane proteins, gene regulatory proteins and hormone receptors.2 Zinc is also required for DNA-binding proteins involved in the regulation of gene expression,3 so that its elimination produces hormone receptors that do not bind to DNA when activated by glucocorticoids or estrogens.4 With some degree of variability, as with many other nutrients, humans do not have functional or body stores of available zinc, except for full-term newborns, who can extract the accumulated hepatic zinc throughout the gestational period.


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