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Abstract Preterm infants have a high risk of zinc, copper, and other micronutrient deficiencies and are frequently growth-retarded. There are multiple contributing factors which explain this. As a consequence of shorter gestation and the immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract, these infants have lower body stores. Premature infants also have a high nutrient demand because of rapid postnatal growth and an increased risk of intercurrent diseases, which means that the intake of nutrients may be inadequate during the first months of life. Zinc is a nutrient essential for maintaining structure and functions of several enzymes, including those which are involved in the production of growth hormones and in transcribing and translating of deoxyribonucleic acid and therefore cell division. Zinc deficiency has been associated with reduced growth, impaired immunity, and increased prevalence and incidence of infectious diseases among infants and children in developing countries. In our developing countries, preterm and LBW infants are especially vulnerable for zinc deficiency. The current study was done to study the effect of zinc supplementation on growth of preterm infants. This study was carried upon 60 preterm infants admitted to NICU at Tala Hospital. Infants were divided into 2 groups. group I: preterm infants who received zinc supplementation in a dose of 2 mg/kg/day orally for 6 months. group II (control group): preterm infants who didn’t receive zinc supplementation. Both groups were of healthy exclusively breastfed preterm infants between 1.8 kg to 2.5 kg, below 37 weeks, their weights were appropriate for gestational age and were in a stable clinical condition without any evidence of disease likely to influence their growth. Both groups were assessed immediately after birth. There were no statistical significant differences between the groups regarding Apgar scores at 1 minute and 5 minutes, gestational age, gender, birth weight, length, head circumference, serum Zinc levels and Hb levels at birth. All children underwent thorough history taking, physical examination. Growth was assessed in the form of weight, length and head circumference at birth and 6 months. Also laboratory tests, serum Zinc and Hb levels were done at birth and 6 months. In present study, we compared both groups regarding anthropometry and we found statistical significant differences between the two groups regarding weight and length at the age of six months. On the other hand, there was no significant increase of head circumference of zinc supplemented group at 6 months. Also we have compared both groups concerning, Hb and serum zinc level to find that: There is highly significant increase in Hb levels in zinc supplemented group at 6 months compared to non-zinc supplemented group and serum zinc levels were significantly higher in zinc supplemented group at the age of six months denoting the improvement of their zinc status after supplementation. In conclusion, we concluded that zinc supplementation has a positive effect on linear growth in premature infants. So, we recommend zinc supplementation for preterm infants for better growth, and recommend further studies of zinc supplementation to be carried out on infants with different durations and at different ages. |