Zinc deficiency may be due to dietary lack, total parenteral nutrition without zinc supplementation, or as part of a generalised malabsorption. Rarely there is a genetic basis - acrodermatitis enteropathica.
Clinical features:
Diagnosis is made by giving a therapeutic trial of zinc tablets; plasma levels are an unreliable indicator of zinc deficiency because the plasma level may be lowered, for example, in acute infection and after trauma.
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.