Transient neonatal zinc deficiency in a 3-month-old infant: A case report

Zinc deficiency can be inherited, such as in the case of acrodermatitis enteropathica or acquired. In both cases, patients will present typical acral and periorificial skin lesions, and seldom, diarrhea as well as secondary alopecia. In this report, we provide a case of transient neonatal zinc deficiency in a 3-month-old breastfed girl who presented with classical skin lesions of zinc deficiency. The diagnosis was determined following the results of blood tests, which indicated a combination of low plasma phosphatase alkaline and zinc levels. To support the diagnosis, genetic testing was performed on the mother to detect a mutation in the SLC30A2 gene. However, the results were inconclusive as a variant of unknown significance was found. After starting zinc supplementation, the skin lesions completely resolved a few weeks later without any recurrence.