History:

Acrodermatitis enteropathica is a rare disorder seen in infants when they are weaned or in premature infants with poor zinc stores.The clinical lesions look dermatitic with oozing and crusting particularly around the mouth,in the groins and acrally on the fingers and toes.Some lesions can be pustular or bullous.Chronic lesions can look more psoriasiform.The condition can also occur in adults with alcoholism,malabsorption or bowel inflammatory disease.

The condition rapidly resolves with oral zinc supplementation.Particularly be mindful of this condition in an infant with chronic diarrhoea and nappy rash especially if they develope a perioral rash.