Study of Incidence of Acute Respiratory Infections in Breast Feeding Babies (Aged between 6 Months to 2yrs of Age) of North Karnataka Population

Background: Malnutrition especially during the early few years of life predisposes to micronutrient deficiencies such as iron and zinc. Children in developing countries are frequently affected by ARI. In such settings, zinc supplementation has been shown to reduce the rates of pneumonia and enhance the physical growth.

Aims of the Study: To study the effect of zinc supplementation on the incidence of pneumonia among healthy breast fed babies aged between 6 months to 2years.

Materials and Method: The present study was a randomized controlled trial from april 2017 to august 2018 with both control and interventional group having 100 patients . The patient were followed up at six , nine and twelve months for anthroprometry and number of episodes of ARI and results analysed.

Results: A total of 200 babies were enrolled in the study. First and second follow up visits were done in 186 and 172 babies respectively. 168 babies completed all the three follow-up visits of which, 53.6% (90) and 46.3% (78) belonged to the interventional and control groups respectively , with significant reduction in the incidence of ARI in the zinc supplemented group.

Conclusion: Supplementation of zinc had a significant reduction in the incidence and prevalence of acute lower respiratory tract infections.