Effect of Micronutrient Supplementation on the Nutritional and Immune Status of School Going Children with Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Abstract

Childhood malnutrition remains a major public health problem worldwide and has been widely recognized as an important risk factor for child mortality. An estimated 2.8 million child deaths is reported each year in the nine low-income Asian countries including India. Attempts are currently underway to quantitatively estimate the extent to which all forms of childhood malnutrition - including deficits in protein and energy and the micrcnutrients namely iron, vitamin A, iodine and zinc contribute to these adverse outcomes. In recent years, nutrition and Immunology are increasingly becoming interrelated disciplines. Micronutrient deficiency is associated with an impairment of immune responses and increased susceptibility to infections like upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URI/LRI) and skin infections especially in children.