Serum and hair zinc as predictors of clinical symptoms in acrodermatitis enteropathica.

Hair- and serum-zinc concentrations were measured in six patients with acrodermatitis enteropathica before and sequentially after cessation of zinc supplementation; supplementation was restarted when symptoms appeared. Serum zinc correlated accurately with zinc dosage and was lowest when symptoms of deficiency appeared. Hair zinc was initially age- and body size-related and was minimally influenced by the supplementation break. Adult patients had continuously normal concentrations. In paediatric patients hair zinc was low. Their serum concentrations should probably be maintained slightly above or at the upper limit of reference values for prolonged periods for normalization of hair and perhaps tissue zinc contents.