A Case of Acquired Acrodermatitis Enteropathica with a Normal Serum Zinc Level but a Low Level in the Hair

    January 2007 in “ Korean Journal of Pediatrics ”
    Kyung Il Oh, Jung Hee Kim, Ji Eun Lee, Dae Hyun Lim, Byong Kwan Son
    TLDR Zinc supplements can help skin issues even if blood zinc levels are normal.
    This document reported a case of transient acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE) in a 4-month-old breast-fed infant who exhibited symptoms such as diarrhea and dermatitis, despite having a normal serum zinc level of 129μg/dL. However, the zinc level in the infant's hair was low. The skin lesions, characterized by erythematous, scaly, and crusted features, improved significantly within 7 days following zinc supplementation. The study suggested that zinc supplementation should be considered in suspected AE cases, even if serum zinc levels appear normal.
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