[Zinc deficiency in artificial nutrition].

A 35-year-old patient was parenterally fed for a total of 170 days because of a twice reoperated gastric ulcer followed by a gastric-antrum small intestinal fistula. This lead to a complete acute zinc deficiency syndrome with pronounced acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin changes in the face and the genital region, paronychia, flat blistering on the hands and feet, loss of hair, fingernail ridging (Beau's) and serious physical changes. A dramatic improvement and healing of all these skin changes, the antrum and small intestinal fistula as well as physical disorders occurred after intravenous and subsequent oral intake of zinc.