[Lysozyme concentrations in the intestinal mucosa in malabsorption syndromes and chronic inflammatory intestinal...

Lysozyme levels were determined in the mucosa of gut in 80 children with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption and acrodermatitis enteropathica.l Levels of lysozyme in the mucosa of colon were found to be significantly higher in cases with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, whereas in children with malabsorption (celiac disease) concentration of lysozyme in the mucosa of small intestine were significantly lower compared to a control group. In a 4 months old boy with acrodermatitis enteropathica there was a low level of lysozyme in the mucosa of the small intestine. After therapy with zinc for one year concentration of lysozyme was normalized.