Eficacia del sulfato de zinc como tratamiento para la desnutrición crónica en niños menores de 2 años en los centros de desarrollo infantil de la parroquia de Ancón.

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of zinc sulfate as a treatment for chronic malnutrition in children under 2 years of age at the early childhood development centers in the Ancón parish. An analytical, retrospective, and longitudinal design was used, in which data from anthropometric parameters were collected to assess the position on the MSP growth charts and determine the degree of chronic malnutrition according to the Z-score and WHO classification. Two measurements were taken: one at the beginning of the zinc sulfate therapy and another after six months of therapeutic follow-up. The study sample consisted of 60 boys and girls aged between 6 months and 2 years. In terms of sex distribution, 48.3% of the participants were male and 51.7% female. The average age was 14.95 months. The results obtained in this study, whose main objective was to evaluate the effect of zinc sulfate treatment on the improvement of chronic malnutrition in children under 2 years of age, show that after six months of intervention, 59.3% of the patients reached a height within the normal range for their age, demonstrating a positive clinical impact of the supplement. It is recommended to implement and strengthen zinc sulfate supplementation as part of the standard treatment for the recovery of children under 2 years old with chronic malnutrition. However, conducting studies with a larger sample size is also advisable.