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Abstract This retrospective case-control study included thirty well nourished children with severe pneumonia . their age range from 2 to 5 years, admitted to Cairo University Pediatric Hospital for treatment of pneumonia from July to December, 2010. Twenty age-, sex- and nutritional status- matched healthy children were included in the study as controls . The aim of the study was to estimate the serum zinc levels in well nourished Egyptian children suffering from severe pneumonia to investigate the association of serum zinc level with pneumonia. Estimation of serum zinc levels was performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (ASS). In this study we found significant lower blood zinc level of cases when compared to age and sex matched controls .Mean blood zinc levels in cases and controls was 59.47±11.536 µg/dL and 90±13.211 µg/dL respectively (P value < 0.001). Zinc supplementation is recommended mainly for the children who are at risk of zinc deficiency with Further studies to determine potentiality of zinc for therapy /and or prophylaxis, with outcome measurement and pre-post estimation of zinc levels in children with pneumonia. |