(medicine) An often fatal inherited disease involving inefficient intestinal absorption of zinc; readily treated by adding zinc to the diet.
Acrodermatitis enteropathica
| Sci-Tech Dictionary: acrodermatitis enteropathica |
(′a·krō′dər·mə¦tī·təs ′en·tə·rə′pa·thə·kə)
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| Food and Nutrition: acrodermatitis enteropathica |
Severe functional zinc deficiency due to failure to secrete an as yet unidentified compound in pancreatic juice that is required for zinc absorption.
| Wikipedia: Acrodermatitis enteropathica |
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008) |
| Acrodermatitis enteropathica | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| ICD-10 | E83.2 |
| ICD-9 | 686.8 |
| OMIM | 201100 |
| DiseasesDB | 29602 |
| eMedicine | derm/5 |
Acrodermatitis enteropathica is an autosomal recessive[1] metabolic disorder affecting the uptake of zinc, characterized by periorificial (around the natural orifices) and acral (in the limbs) dermatitis, alopecia (loss of hair), and diarrhea.
Similar features may be present in acquired zinc deficiency. This disease also is related to deficiency of zinc due to congenital causes.
Other names for acrodermatitis enteropathica include:
- Brandt syndrome
- Danbolt-Cross syndrome
- Congenital zinc deficiency
Contents |
Genetics
A mutation of the SLC39A4 gene on chromosome 8 q24.3 is responsible for the disorder.[2] The SLC39A4 gene encodes a transmembrane protein that serves as a zinc uptake protein. The features of the disease usually start manifesting as an infant is weaned from breast milk. This has led some scientists to suspect that human milk contains a beneficial substance that helps uptake of zinc and prevents the disease from being manifested while an infant is on breast milk.[3]
Symptoms
Features of acrodermatitis enteropathica start appearing in the first few months of life, as the infant discontinues breast milk. There are erythematous patches and plaques of dry, scaly skin. The lesions may appear eczematous, or may evolve further into crusted vesicles , bullas or pustules. The lesions are frequent around the mouth and anus, and also in hands, feet and scalp. There may be suppurative inflammation of the nail fold surrounding the nail plate - known as paronychia. Alopecia - loss of hair from scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes may occur. The skin lesions may be secondarily infected by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus or fungi like Candida albicans. These skin lesions are accompanied by diarrhea.
Treatment
Without treatment, the disease is fatal and affected individuals may die within a few years. There is no cure for the condition. Treatment includes lifelong dietary zinc supplementation in the range of greater than 1-2 mg/kg of bodyweight per day.
See also
References
- ^ Wang, K; Pugh, Ew; Griffen, S; Doheny, Kf; Mostafa, Wz; Al-Aboosi, Mm; El-Shanti, H; Gitschier, J (April 2001). "Homozygosity mapping places the acrodermatitis enteropathica gene on chromosomal region 8q24.3". American journal of human genetics 68 (4): 1055–60. doi:. PMID 11254458.
- ^ Küry, S; Dréno, B; Bézieau, S; Giraudet, S; Kharfi, M; Kamoun, R; Moisan, Jp (July 2002). "Identification of SLC39A4, a gene involved in acrodermatitis enteropathica". Nature genetics 31 (3): 239–40. doi:. PMID 12068297.
- ^ Michalczyk, A; Varigos, G; Catto-Smith, A; Blomeley, Rc; Ackland, Ml (August 2003). "Analysis of zinc transporter, hZnT4 ( Slc30A4), gene expression in a mammary gland disorder leading to reduced zinc secretion into milk". Human genetics 113 (3): 202–10. doi:. PMID 12743795.
External links
- WebMD article
- Doctor's doctor article
- Dermis.net article with images
- Google Group - Acrodermatitis Enteropathica Circle
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 | Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved. Read more |
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