| dc.description.abstract | Background: Zinc deficiency (serum zinc levels of ≤65 μg/dl) leads to increase
susceptibility to infection and known to impair cellular mediated immunity which
plays an important role in tuberculosis.
Objective: To evaluate the serum zinc levels and nutritional status of the tuberculous
children on the intensive and continuation phase of tuberculosis treatment.
Methods : A cohort prospective study was conducted on May to October 2018 in H.
Adam Malik General hospital and University of Sumatera Utara hospital. The serum
zinc levels and nutritional status of 29 children with various form of tuberculosis
were measured on the intensive and continuation phase of tuberculosis treatment.
Results: The mean serum zinc levels in children with pulmonary tuberculosis (n=21)
was 59.2±15.0 μg/dl, lymphadenitis tuberculosis (n=3) was 59.0±10.4 μg/dl, and
meningitis tuberculosis (n=5) was 53.2±18.3 μg/dl on the intensive phase of
tuberculosis treatment. Serum zinc levels measured on the intensive and continuation
phase were 58.1±14.9 μg/dl and 68.9±16.4 μg/dl, respectively, and significant rise in
serum zinc levels was noted (mean increment of serum zinc levels=10.8 μg/dl;
P<0.001). Despite of significant rise in serum zinc levels, the proportion of
tuberculous children with zinc deficiency state remained high (51.7%). The
proportion of tuberculous children with malnutrition was decreased from 82.8% to
55.2%. There was no association between serum zinc levels and nutritional status in
the sample population.
Conclusion: Increase of serum zinc levels is demonstrated along the phase of antituberculosis
treatment, nevertheless the proportion of tuberculous children with zinc
deficiency state remains high. Further studies regarding zinc supplementation in
childhood tuberculosis are warranted. | en_US |
