The relationship between serum zinc levels and clinical features in under-five Nigerian children with Acute Lower Respiratory Infections

The import of deficiency states of zinc has recently become the focus of research attention. The study was carried out in Ilorin, Nigeria to determine the relationship between serum zinc levels and clinical features in children with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI). This cross-sectional hospital-based study included 120 children aged two months to five years with ALRI. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained and serum zinc levels were determined. Significantly lower mean serum zinc levels were recorded among the children with tachypnoea and crepitations while children with grunting respiration had significantly higher mean serum zinc levels compared to the corresponding values for those without these features (p=0.014, 0.003, 0.028 respectively). The presence of crepitations had the strongest clinical association with a low serum zinc level.