Diagnosis

What is it about?

The most common way to measure body zinc levels is to measure plasma or serum zinc levels. This value can be influenced by injuries, infections and other stimuli and therefore it may not be reflective of the total body stores. Zinc levels in plasma vary from 70 μg to 110 μg. In serum the zinc levels are usually within 80 μg to 120 μg. Zinc is released in serum due to blood clotting and erythrocytes hemolysis which increases zinc serum levels by 16% over plasma levels. Moreover, zinc levels are 25% lower in infants that are 6 months and younger compared to all other age groups. Plasma albumin levels are also directly related to zinc levels.

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Why is it important?

Many disorders and diseases share similar symptoms as AE which makes diagnosis difficult. Some of them are related to zinc deficiency or share similar pathways. Some of these disorders and diseases include: dermatosis, essential fatty acid deficiency, breast milk with low zinc concentration, zinc-free total parenteral nutrition, methylmalonic acid productivity disorder, multiple carboxylase disorder, amino acid deficiency, Crohn’s disease, Hartnup disease, cystic fibrosis, insufficient biotin metabolism or biotinidase deficiency (in infants), malnutrition or kwashiorkor, epidermolysis bullosa, eczema, pyoderma gangrenosum, seborrheic dermatitis, dermatitis herpetiformis (Duhring’s disease), Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, erythema multiforme, Reiter’s syndrome, finger manifestations of acrodermatitis hallopeau, psoriasis vulgaris, aphthous ulcers and atopic dermatitis (5).