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ACRODERMATITIS ASSOCIATED WITH ZINC DEFICIENCY: FEATURES AND POSTULATED MECHANISM
Author(s) -
Heng Madalene C Y,
Allen Suni G,
Heng Siang Yang,
Wasserman Ronald,
Nelson Greg Jon,
Song Moon K
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
australasian journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.67
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1440-0960
pISSN - 0004-8380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-0960.1988.tb00393.x
Subject(s) - acrodermatitis , candida albicans , zinc , zinc deficiency (plant disorder) , superoxide dismutase , medicine , immunology , epidermis (zoology) , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pathology , biochemistry , chemistry , enzyme , anatomy , alternative medicine , organic chemistry
S ummary It is currently unexplained why zinc deficiency should result in a cutaneous eruption of such a distinctive and characteristic distribution (acrodermatitis), affecting the groin, periorificial surfaces and periungual areas of fingers and toes. In this study, we provide ultrastructural evidence suggestive of excessive damage of the epidermis by neutrophils, with other features resembling tissue damage from free radicals. We propose that these changes are consistent with a deficiency of superoxide dismutase, a zinc metalloenzyme, which is mainly responsible for neutralizing the destructive effects of the reactive oxygen species released by neutrophils. The various zymosans on many yeast cells, including Candida, activate complement, resulting in the generation of C5a, a potent chemattractant for neutrophils, and the location of the eruption in the characteristic sites in zinc deficiency may be explained by the natural occurrence of Candida albicans in these areas.