QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON MEAN SERUM INSULIN LIKE GROWTH FACTOR-1 (IGF-1) AND INSULIN LIKE GROWTH FACTOR BINDING PROTEIN-3 (IGFBP-3) LEVELS IN PAKISTANI SHORT STATURED CHILDREN

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the influence of supplemental zinc on the levels of insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in short statured Pakistani children of 3-6 years of age.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Rawalpindi, from Jun 2016 to Jun 2017.

Methodology: Children were divided into two groups; group-1 short stature with zinc deficiency and group-2 without zinc deficiency. Group-1 was given zinc supplementation (oral Zn sulfate-50mg/day elemental Zn) for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measurements and biochemistry analysis of zinc (umol/l) on Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, insulin like growth factor-1 (ng/ml) and insulin like growth factor binding protein-3 (ng/ml), serum growth hormone stimulation analysis by chemiluminecent analyzer were done in all groups.

Results: Of totally 360 screened children, 96 met the eligibility criteria who were equally divided into two groups according to their zinc deficiency status. Gender distribution showed that group 1A included 29 (60%) male and 19 (40%) female while group 2 consisted of 28 (60%) male and 20 (40%) females. Most of the children in group 1A were 5years old while in group 2 greater numbers of children were of 6 years. Inferential statistics revealed that when group 1A and 1B was compared with paired t-statistics for height, weight, BMI, Zinc, insulin like growth factor-1 and insulin like growth factor binding protein-3, the mean increase from the baseline to weeks 12 was highly significant (p<0.001) for all these parameters.....