Abstract:A girl, aged 11 years, was admitted due to recurrent rash on the whole body and mucosa for 10 years, and typical rash was erythema at the perioral region, hand-foot joints, vulva, and perianal region, with blisters, erosions, and ulcers on the erythema. The girl was improved after zinc supplementation. Her younger brother had similar rash and medical history. The histopathological examination showed epidermal parakeratosis with mild hyperkeratosis, severe spongiform edema of the stratum corneum, significant proliferation of acanthocytes, and vacuolation of keratinocytes. The genetic testing revealed that both the girl and her younger brother had a homozygous mutation of c.1456(exon9)delG in the SLC39A4 gene, and thus the girl was diagnosed with acrodermatitis enteropathica. It is concluded that for children with recurrent rash on the limbs and at the perioral region, genetic testing should be performed as early as possible to make a confirmed diagnosis, and a sufficient dose of zinc supplementation should be given, while the levels of trace elements such as blood zinc should be regularly monitored. Citation:Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 2022, 24(9): 1047-1052
Maverakis E, Fung MA, Lynch PJ, et al. Acrodermatitis enteropathica and an overview of zinc metabolism[J]. J Am Acad Dermatol, 2007, 56(1): 116-124. PMID: 17190629. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2006.08.015.
9 Danbolt N, Closs K. Acrodermatitis enteropathica[J]. Acta Derm Venereol, 1942, 23: 127-169.
Kambe T, Andrews GK. Novel proteolytic processing of the ectodomain of the zinc transporter ZIP4 (SLC39A4) during zinc deficiency is inhibited by acrodermatitis enteropathica mutations[J]. Mol Cell Biol, 2009, 29(1): 129-139. PMID: 18936158. PMCID: PMC2612479. DOI: 10.1128/MCB.00963-08.
Kambe T, Fukue K, Ishida R, et al. Overview of inherited zinc deficiency in infants and children[J]. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 2015, 61 Suppl: S44-S46. PMID: 26598882. DOI: 10.3177/jnsv.61.S44.
Corbo MD, Lam J. Zinc deficiency and its management in the pediatric population: a literature review and proposed etiologic classification[J]. J Am Acad Dermatol, 2013, 69(4): 616-624.e1. PMID: 23688650. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2013.04.028.
Kasana S, Din J, Maret W. Genetic causes and gene—nutrient interactions in mammalian zinc deficiencies: acrodermatitis enteropathica and transient neonatal zinc deficiency as examples[J]. J Trace Elem Med Biol, 2015, 29: 47-62. PMID: 25468189. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2014.10.003.
Zhong W, Yang C, Zhu L, et al. Analysis of the relationship between the mutation site of the SLC39A4 gene and acrodermatitis enteropathica by reporting a rare Chinese twin: a case report and review of the literature[J]. BMC Pediatr, 2020, 20(1): 34. PMID: 31987033. PMCID: PMC6983971. DOI: 10.1186/s12887-020-1942-4.