Dassoni Federica, Abebe Zerihun, Ricceri Federica, Morrone Aldo, Albertin Cristiana, Naafs Bernard
Ayder Referral Hospital, Mekelle, Ethiopia ; INMP Istituto Nazionale per la Promozione della Salute delle Popolazioni Migranti ed il Contrasto delle Malattie della Povertà, Via di San Gallicano 25, 00153 Roma, Italy ; Unità Operativa di Dermatologia, Università di Milano, I.R.C.C.S. Fondazione Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milano, Italy.
Ayder Referral Hospital, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
Dermatol Res Pract. 2014;2014:719701. doi: 10.1155/2014/719701. Epub 2014 Dec 7.
Background. Zinc deficiency occurs in infants when its demand exceeds its supply. It presents with cutaneous signs which, in severe cases, are associated with diarrhea, alopecia, and irritability. Genetic and acquired forms of zinc deficiency have been reported and often overlap clinical features. Malnutrition, prematurity, malabsorption syndromes, and burns may cause an increased demand for zinc. Methods. Cases of acquired transient infantile zinc deficiency (TIZD) observed during a period of 3 years at Ayder Referral Hospital of Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia, are reported here. Since no sophisticated tests were available at our center, the diagnosis was based on the clinical signs and prompt response to oral zinc supplementation. Results. We observed 18 cases of TIZD at our center. All patients were full-term and breastfeeding infants with no relevant associated diseases. Conclusions. In this region, a high incidence of this condition is observed. We could not rule out whether heterozygosity for the genetic mutation was present or that the disease was caused by a nutritional deficiency in the mothers or more probably because both the factors coexisted together. However, further studies are necessary to better understand the causes of the increased incidence of this disease in Northern Ethiopia.
背景。当婴儿对锌的需求超过供应时，就会出现锌缺乏症。其表现为皮肤症状，严重时会伴有腹泻、脱发和易怒。已有遗传型和后天获得型锌缺乏症的报道，且它们的临床特征常常重叠。营养不良、早产、吸收不良综合征和烧伤可能会导致锌需求增加。方法。本文报告了在埃塞俄比亚北部默克莱的阿伊德转诊医院3年期间观察到的后天性短暂婴儿锌缺乏症（TIZD）病例。由于我们中心没有先进的检测手段，诊断基于临床症状以及对口服锌补充剂的迅速反应。结果。我们中心观察到18例TIZD病例。所有患者均为足月儿且母乳喂养，无相关伴随疾病。结论。在该地区，观察到这种疾病的高发病率。我们无法排除是否存在基因突变杂合性，或者该疾病是由母亲的营养缺乏引起，或者更有可能是这两种因素共同存在所致。然而，需要进一步研究以更好地了解埃塞俄比亚北部这种疾病发病率增加的原因。
