Symptomatic zinc deficiency in a breast-fed infant.

Acrodermatitis Enteropathica: Case Report and Review of the Literature

“…However, this postulate has never been substantiated. Intestinal malabsorption syndromes (10)(11)(12) Extensive burns (9) Crohn disease (10)(11)(12) Sickle cell anemia (9) Sprue (9) Systemic malignancies (9-12) Pancreatic insufficiency (9) Renal tubule dysfunction (9) Drugs (9) Defect of mammary zinc secretion (17,(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) Blind loop syndromes (9) Diets high in phytates and calcium (7,17,28) Total parenteral nutrition (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) Prematurity (29,30) The use of Diodoquin was abandoned due to its serious adverse effects, optical atrophy being the main one (31). Since the Moynahan and Barnes (1) study in 1973, oral administration of a zinc preparation has been the treatment of choice.…”

Breastfeeding Infants With Problems

“…3,4,15 In some cases, zinc levels in the milk were low; in others, they were not measured. 3,4,15 In some cases, zinc levels in the milk were low; in others, they were not measured.…”

Preventing Zinc Deficiency in Early Infancy: Impact on Morbidity, Growth and Mortality

“…Moynahan and Barnes [19,20] first noted the association of zinc deficiency with Acrodermatitis enteropathica. In premature infants, transient Zinc Deficiency in Early Infancy symptomatic zinc deficiency (TSZD) has been reported in breast-fed infants [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and Husnoo et al [30] described 1 premature breast-fed infant with low zinc levels. These children had serum zinc levels below normal at the time of diagnosis, they responded rapidly to zinc supplementation, and the zinc supplement could be discontinued without recurrence of symptoms.…”

“…These children had serum zinc levels below normal at the time of diagnosis, they responded rapidly to zinc supplementation, and the zinc supplement could be discontinued without recurrence of symptoms. Of the 7 studies measuring breast milk zinc levels in mothers, 6 [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] had low while 1 had normal levels [29]. TSZD is thought to be due to negative zinc balance and high demand for rapid growth in preterm infants, supporting the concept that zinc deficiency of some degree may be occurring in infants fed breast milk alone.…”