Efficacy of Zinc Supplementation as Adjunct Therapy in Reducing Duration and Severity of Acute Childhood Diarrhoea in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria

Zinc supplementation is recommended by WHO as adjunct therapy for acute diarrhoea in children, yet its uptake and evidence base within Nigerian clinical settings remain inadequately documented. This randomised controlled trial evaluates the efficacy of zinc supplementation as adjunct therapy in reducing the duration and severity of acute diarrhoea among children aged 6 to 59 months hospitalised at the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. A total of 164 children were randomly allocated to receive either zinc sulphate tablets (20 mg daily for 10 days) plus standard oral rehydration therapy (ORT), or ORT alone as the control group. Primary outcomes were diarrhoea duration in days and stool frequency on days three and five. Secondary outcomes included duration of hospitalisation and relapse within 14 days of discharge. Children receiving zinc plus ORT had significantly shorter diarrhoea duration (mean 3.2 days versus 5.1 days, p less than 0.001) and lower stool frequency by day three (mean 2.8 versus 4.6 stools per day, p less than 0.001). Hospitalisation was shorter in the zinc group (mean 4.1 versus 5.9 days). Fourteen-day relapse rates were lower in the zinc group (8.5% versus 19.5%, p less than 0.05). Adverse effects were mild and self-limiting. The study contributes local RCT evidence supporting WHO zinc supplementation guidelines and recommends its routine integration into Nigerian national diarrhoea management protocols. Keywords: zinc supplementation, childhood diarrhoea, randomised controlled trial, Kogi State, North Central Nigeria.