Possibilities for zinc in the treatment of acute diarrhea.

Zinc therapy shows promise in the treatment of acute diarrhea. Several questions must be answered before it can be incorporated into diarrheal disease control programs, namely, whether it should be targeted at the groups of children in whom it has been shown to work and what the optimal dosing regimen should be, the amount of therapeutic zinc, optimal duration of therapy, and the interaction of zinc and copper absorption. The evidence supporting inclusion of zinc in treatment programs is strong and may become more so when these questions are answered.