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CompletedNCT00536133Updated Aug 6, 2009

Role of Zinc in Recurrent Acute Lower Respiratory Infections

A Phase 3 interventional study of Zinc and placebo in Acute Respiratory Infections, sponsored by Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College. Completed at 1 site in India. Open to participants aged 6 Months to 59 Months. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2009-08-06.

Sponsored by Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College · Phase 3, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
208
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
6 Months to 59 Months
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are the most frequent illnesses globally. Despite advances in the recognition and management ARIs, these account for over 20% of all child deaths globally.Trace mineral deficiencies have long been implicated in causation and consequences of many diseases. The importance of adequate zinc intake in human health is well documented and zinc deficiency is a large public health problem, especially among children in developing countries.Various studies suggest that zinc-deficient populations are at increased risk of developing diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory tract infections and growth retardation.Among the individual interventions zinc supplementation with universal coverage ranks 5th in preventing under five mortality in India, preceded only in order by breast feeding; complementary feeding; clean delivery; Hib vaccination; and clean water, sanitation and hygiene.Numerous studies have examined the association between child mortality and zinc deficiency. A number of randomized controlled trials evaluating effect of zinc supplementation have found the intervention to be beneficial in reducing ARI and diarrhoeal mortality and morbidity but few studies have found beneficial effect in diarrhea and no or even contrasting effects on morbidity pattern of acute respiratory infections. Whereas role of zinc in diarrhea is now a well established and specific guidelines and recommendations have been given for zinc supplementation in diarrhea, role of zinc in acute respiratory infections is controversial. The contrasting effect of zinc on diarrhoea and acute lower respiratory infection as reported in several studies is a public health concern, because zinc supplementation is carried out in many nutrition rehabilitation units. Further in many of randomized control trials supplement syrups also contained other vitamins, including vitamin A, known to have effect on respiratory morbidity. Most of the trials evaluating effect of zinc on respiratory morbidity and mortality are community based and children with well known causes of recurrent acute lower respiratory infections have not been excluded from the study pool.

Hence the current study was planned to bridge this gap of information and attempts to detect the role of zinc using "zinc only preparations" in reducing respiratory morbidity in children aged 6 to 59 months with recurrent acute lower respiratory infections.

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Conditions studied

  • Acute Respiratory Infections

Keywords

  • zinc
  • aute lower respiratory infections
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In context

Lead sponsor

Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College is the lead sponsor of 5 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
6 Months to 59 Months
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Children aged 6 to 59 months with documented recurrent acute lower respiratory infection i.e., more than two episodes of ALRI in one year or more than three episodes in any time frame.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children with congenital heart diseases
  • Children with congenital anomalies which can cause recurrent chest infection
  • Children with Tuberculosis
  • Children with bronchial asthma or hyperactive airway disease
  • Children with WZS \< -2 of HZS \< -2 as per WHO standards
  • Children with any diarrhoeal episode in past 3 months
  • Children having receive any zinc supplementation in past 3 months
  • Children who did not turn up on follow up and could not be contacted were excluded from the study.
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Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
208 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Zinc group

    children with recurrent acute lower respiratory infections receiving zinc supplementation

    Drug: Zinc

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo group

    children with recurrent acute lower respiratory infections receiving placebo syrup

    Other: placebo

Interventions

  • DrugZinc

    5 ml of syrup containing zinc gluconate equivalent to 10 mg of elemental zinc per day for 60 days

  • Otherplacebo

    5 ml of syrup, identical in taste, color and consistency to the syrup given to zinc group, but containing no zinc

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. change in mean serum zinc level; Number of episodes of ALRI per child ALRI free days per child per year;

    Time frame: six months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Diarrhoeal episodes per child; morbidity free days per child; mean hospitalization days; change in Weight for age and height for age z scores

    Time frame: six months

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Study locations

1 site
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University
    Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Black RE, Morris SS, Bryce J. Where and why are 10 million children dying every year? Lancet. 2003 Jun 28;361(9376):2226-34. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13779-8. PubMed 12842379 ↗
  • Caufield L, Black R. Zinc deficiency. In: Ezzati M, Lopez AD, Rodgers A, Murray C, eds. Comparative Quantification of Health Risks: Global and Regional Burden of Disease Attributable to Selected Major Risk Factors. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2004:257-259
  • Bhatnagar S, Natchu UC. Zinc in child health and disease. Indian J Pediatr. 2004 Nov;71(11):991-5. doi: 10.1007/BF02828114. PubMed 15572819 ↗
  • Ruel MT, Rivera JA, Santizo MC, Lonnerdal B, Brown KH. Impact of zinc supplementation on morbidity from diarrhea and respiratory infections among rural Guatemalan children. Pediatrics. 1997 Jun;99(6):808-13. doi: 10.1542/peds.99.6.808. PubMed 9164774 ↗
  • Rahman MM, Vermund SH, Wahed MA, Fuchs GJ, Baqui AH, Alvarez JO. Simultaneous zinc and vitamin A supplementation in Bangladeshi children: randomised double blind controlled trial. BMJ. 2001 Aug 11;323(7308):314-8. doi: 10.1136/bmj.323.7308.314. PubMed 11498488 ↗
  • Sazawal S, Black RE, Jalla S, Mazumdar S, Sinha A, Bhan MK. Zinc supplementation reduces the incidence of acute lower respiratory infections in infants and preschool children: a double-blind, controlled trial. Pediatrics. 1998 Jul;102(1 Pt 1):1-5. doi: 10.1542/peds.102.1.1. PubMed 9651405 ↗
  • Bhandari N, Bahl R, Taneja S, Strand T, Molbak K, Ulvik RJ, Sommerfelt H, Bhan MK. Effect of routine zinc supplementation on pneumonia in children aged 6 months to 3 years: randomised controlled trial in an urban slum. BMJ. 2002 Jun 8;324(7350):1358. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7350.1358. PubMed 12052800 ↗
  • Shah UH, Abu-Shaheen AK, Malik MA, Alam S, Riaz M, Al-Tannir MA. The efficacy of zinc supplementation in young children with acute lower respiratory infections: a randomized double-blind controlled trial. Clin Nutr. 2013 Apr;32(2):193-9. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2012.08.018. Epub 2012 Aug 31. PubMed 22981241 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 6, 2009, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00536133
Lead sponsor
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
Collaborators
Indian Council of Medical Research
First posted
Sep 27, 2007
Start date
Apr 2006
Primary completion
May 2008
Completion
Jul 2008
Last update
Aug 6, 2009

Study contacts

Mohd A Malik, MD
study director · Professor, Department of pediatrics, Jawaharlal nehru Medical College, A.M.U, Aligarh
Ubaid H Shah, MD
principal investigator · Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2009. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Studies of the drug tested here: Zinc

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