[Zinc deficiency in a premature infant].

A premature infant with a birth-weight of 1,218 g developed severe zinc depletion about two months after birth. He had received his mother's breast-milk which was found to have a low zinc content of about 5 mumol/l. The clinical symptoms of zinc deficiency included stunted growth, catarrhal symptoms and a characteristic eczematous eruption on the face and diaper region known as acrodermatitis. Serum zinc was lowered (6.8 mumol/l) and so was serum alkaline phosphatase activity. Oral zinc sulphate supplementation, initially 22.5 mg daily and subsequently 11 mg zinc daily, had a prompt effect on the patient's well-being and the skin was restored to normal after about a week.