Source: AIDS Care  |  Posted 9 years ago

Zinc gluconate glycine lozenges reduce cold duration and frequency, as well as concomitant antibiotic use, in children.

Researchers from the Heritage Center, Provo, Utah, United States, examined the medical charts of 496 school-aged subjects before and after the introduction of zinc gluconate glycine lozenges (Cold-Eeze). Previous controlled trials suggested that the lozenges reduced cold duration.

The authors defined a cold based on the presence of at least two specified signs or symptoms on the same day. They used patient or medical staff reports and cold medication usage to determine the cold's duration.

Subjects taking the zinc gluconate glycine lozenges showed shorter cold duration than non-users: 7.5 and 9.0 days respectively. Further, 4.1 percent of those taking the lozenge needed concomitant antibiotics compared to 36.2 percent of non-users. Prophylaxis with the lozenge reduced the median annual number of colds from 1.3 in non-users to 0.0 among the lozenge users. All these differences reached statistical significance.

The authors concluded that zinc gluconate glycine lozenges reduced cold duration and antibiotic use in school-aged subjects. They added that prophylactic zinc gluconate decreased the frequency of colds.