Acrodermatitis enteropathica is the clinical expression of congenital zinc deficiency and is now treated with supplemental zinc. This report details the ocular histopathology of a child who died before efficacious treatment was available. The findings include corneal epithelial thinning and loss of polarity, anterior corneal scarring and loss of Bowman's membrane, cataract formation, ciliary bo...

1. In a system in vitro, 65Zn accumulation by jejunal mucosal biopsies from patients with acrodermatitis enteropathica was found to be markedly reduced compared with controls. 2. We suggest that defective uptake of zinc by enterocytes is the primary abnormality responsible for the zinc deficiency underlying this disorder.

Acrodermatitis enteropathica which is a manifestation of zinc deficiency, is rarely seen in breast-fed infants. A child with typical acral rash, zinc deficiency and low breast milk zinc levels is described. The importance of awareness of this entity in breast-fed infants along with differential diagnosis is being emphasized.