الفهرس 
Respiirattory Tractt InffecttiionsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an acute infection of the lung parenchyma acquired outside the hospital and is one of the leading causes of pediatric morbidity and mortality.Poor socioeconomic status, incomplete immunization schemes, malnutrition, late care seeking and inadequate treatment are main risk factors for pneumonia.The diagnosis is based on history and physical examination of children with fever and respiratory manifestations. Chest radiography may be helpful when the diagnosis is unclear. The decision to treat with antibiotics is challenging, especially with the increase of viral and bacterial co-infections. Community-acquired pneumonia generally has a good prognosis, and a good response to the antibiotic treatment. Zinc is an important trace element in the body that can be found in meat, shellfish, cheese, legumes and whole grains. Zinc has a fundamental role in cellular metabolism with profound effects on the immune system and the intestinal mucosa. Zinc deficiency is common in children from developing countries due to high incidence of malnutrition, lack of intake of animal foods, high dietary phytate contents and inadequate food intake with increased fecal loss during diarrhea. The aim of this study was to : 1) Determine serum zinc levels in children with community acquired pneumonia. 2) Correlate serum zinc levels with the severity of pneumonia.