Efficacy of Zinc in the Treatment of Bronchiolitis and Prevention of Wheezing Respiratory Illness in Children Less Than Two Years Old

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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1. Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. It is an acute, infectious illness of the lower respiratory tract resulting in obstruction of the bronchioles. The etiology is viral in the majority of the cases and RSV is the most commonly isolated agent. The disease is more common in younger children under 2 years of age. Children often receive unnecessary antibiotics and often require hospitalization. An episode of bronchiolitis can be followed by recurrent wheezing episodes. RSV bronchiolitis in the first year of life is one of the most important risk factors for the subsequent development of asthma in both developed and developing countries. Thus, bronchiolitis is a global public health problem. Zinc supplementation has been shown to be effective in both preventing and treating pneumonia. However, no study has particularly examined the effect of zinc on ARI associated with wheezing. This study aims to investigate whether zinc (20 mg/day) reduces1. the duration of bronchiolitis in children.2. the severity of bronchiolitis in children.3. the rate of hospitalization for bronchiolitis.3. future episodes of wheezing in children.

Conditions
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Bronchiolitis

Intervention / Treatment
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* Drug: Zinc sulphate 20 mg


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Children 2 months to 23 months old at the time of clinical diagnosis· Episode of wheezing for the first time Written consent· Who do not require hospitalization at the time of diagnosis Exclusion Criteria: History of asthma Chronic cardiac or respiratory disease (e.g.cyanotic heart disease -ASD) History of previous wheezing or bronchodilator therapy Gestational age at birth <34 weeks Suspected tuberculosis, active measles Any illness (severe malnutrition, sepsis, meningitis) that requires hospitalisation Who had zinc/placebo supplements during this study· H/o zinc intake within last 3 months· Whose caretakers withhold consent

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 2 Months
Maximum Age: 23 Months

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Drug: Zinc sulphate 20 mg|nan|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Effect of zinc on the duration of bronchiolitis in children |  |  | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Effect of Zinc |  |  | 
| The severity of bronchiolitis. |  |  | 
| The rate of hospitalization. |  |  | 
| Future episodes of wheezing. |  |  | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Zinc treatment, Bronchiolitis, Wheezing, Children aged 2 months to 23 months, Diagnosed case of acute bronchiolitis