Abstract
There is a significant group of children in whom the causes of their short stature are unknown. To assess the potential role of zinc in the etiology of growth delay, we studied 26 boys and 20 girls, 6 to 12 years old, without signs of puberal development. All had H/A percentile <10 (NCHS standards) and an unknown cause of its short stature. They were paired by sex and randomly assigned to a supplemented group (S), receiving zinc 10 mg/day, as sulfate, or to a placebo group (P)in a double blind study and were followed up for 1 year. Weight, stature, arm span and plasma zinc were assessed; dietary history was obtained at 0 and 6 month of study. On admission nutritional status was normal and intakes of energy, protein, vegetal fiber were comparable; zinc intake was 50-60% of normal recommendation for age. No differences were found in plasma zinc, weight increments, or arm span. Group S had a significant greater increase in stature than P (6.3 ± 2,2 vs 4.3 ± 0.9 cm/year, p< 0,025) among the males; no differences were observed among the females (4.5 ± 1.2 vs 4,3 ± 1.6 cm/year). In Chilean school children with short stature of unknown cause, the nutritional deficit of zinc may be an important factor, which improve during oral zinc supplementation in males but not in females.
Partially funded by FONDECYT Grant 89-938.
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Castillo-Durán, C., García, H., Venegas, P. et al. ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION IN SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH SHORT STATUBE. Pediatr Res 32, 740 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199212000-00042
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199212000-00042