To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Zinc Lozenges Ineffective In Treating Cold Symptoms In Children URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/88956.htm Doctor's Guide June 23, 1998
CHICAGO, IL -- June 23, 1998 -- Zinc gluconate glycine (ZGG) lozenges are not effective in treating cold symptoms in children and adolescents, according to an article in tomorrow's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. Michael Macknin, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, and colleagues studied 249 students in grades one through 12 in two suburban school districts in Cleveland to determine the effectiveness of ZGG lozenges in treating symptoms of the common cold in children and adolescents. The students were randomised into the intervention group (who received 10 mg zinc lozenges taken orally five or six times per day for three weeks) or placebo group (who received identical cherry-flavoured hard candy containing no zinc). This is the first study testing the effectiveness of zinc as a cold remedy in children. The researchers found that there was no difference in the amount of time it took for cold symptoms to resolve for the children who took zinc lozenges versus those who took the placebo lozenges. Both groups took a median of nine days. There also was no significant difference between the two groups in the time it took for any one of the nine cold symptoms studied to resolve. Additionally, more students taking the zinc lozenges had side effects than did those in the placebo group, including bad taste reactions (60.2 percent versus 37.9 percent); nausea (29.3 percent versus 16.1 percent); mouth, tongue or throat discomfort (36.6 percent versus 24.2 percent); and diarrhea (10.6 percent versus 4.0 percent). Ten previous studies have investigated different dosages and formulations of oral zinc as a cold remedy. The researchers of this study say that five of the studies found that zinc helped relieve cold symptoms and the other five showed no effect. In one of the previous studies in adults that was conducted by the same researchers of this study, adults who took zinc lozenges experienced a 42 percent decrease in the duration of their cold symptoms. "The discrepant results between these studies in adults and the current study in children may be explained by the different dosages or flavouring of the formulation, the ages of the subjects, the time of year when the studies were performed [the viruses involved may have been different] or chance differences between the placebo and zinc groups," they write. The common cold is one of the most frequently occurring illnesses in the world, with more than 200 known viruses that cause colds in adults, including rhinoviruses (the most frequent cause), coronaviruses, adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza viruses. In the United States each year, adults have an average of two to four colds and children have an average of six to eight colds. Because of the tremendous financial costs due to loss of time from work, researchers have been trying to identify treatments that are effective in relieving cold symptoms. The ways that zinc may affect the common cold remain uncertain, although a number of possibilities have been suggested. "Additional studies in all age groups with different dosages and formulations of zinc lozenges and virologic testing are needed to define what role, if any, zinc has in the treatment of common cold symptoms," they write. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.