Kwashiorkor and Concurrent Acquired Acrodermatitis Enteropathica in a Case with Hirschsprung’s Disease -A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Kwashiorkor is a form of protein-energy malnutrition with a characteristic flaky paint dermatosis. Patients with kwashiorkor may have a low serum level of zinc. However, most patients fail to show the typical cutaneous manifestation of zinc deficiency, namely, acrodermatitis enteropathica. We herein reported a patient with concurrent kwashiorkor and acquired acrodermatitis enteropathica. This 2-yearand-8-month-old boy, a case of Hirschsprung’s disease, was admitted due to enterocolitis. Ten days after admission, generalized hyperkeratotic and hyperpigmented plaques with symmetrical scaly and erosive eczematous lesions around the body orifices were observed. Laboratory data revealed hypoalbuminemia (1.7 g/dL) and hypozincemia. After intravenous administration of human albumin together with zinc gluconate 5 mg once a day, his skin rash subsided gradually in ten days. (Dermatol Sinica 25: 43-47, 2007)