الفهرس 
Lower respiratory tract infectionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Background: Acute lower respiratory tract infections remains a
leading cause of death among infants and young children in low income
countries. Zinc deficiency is associated with an increased risk of acute
lower respiratory tract infections, adverse effects on the structure and
function of the respiratory tract, and impaired immune function. Aim of
the Work: The aim of our study is to assess zinc status in children
suffering from acute lower respiratory tract infection and to evaluate the
relationship of zinc status to the severity of lower respiratory tract
infections. Methods: seventy-five children with acute lower respiratory
tract infection and seventy-five age-matched controls were enrolled. All
of them were subjected to complete blood picture, CRP and serum Zinc
level. Results: the mean serum zinc level among cases was lower than
controls which significantly different ( p=0.011). Also was statistically
different with prescence of fever (p-value<0.05). There was no
statistically significant difference between cases regarding other
symptoms(cough ,respiratory distress)or recurrence and also no
statistically significant difference as regards TLC and different types of
feeding. Conclusion: from our study we conclude that a low serum zinc
level was found in children with lower respiratory tract infections. Key
Words: Zinc, lower respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, Children.