European journal of pediatrics
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The basic defect in acrodermatitis enteropathica (A. E.) is zinc deficiency caused by zinc malabsorption. The clinical symptoms disappear and serum zinc levels normalize after oral treatment with zinc. ⋯ The zinc-therapy led to a complete normalization of the pathological changes in the Paneth cells. Thus, the changes in the Paneth cells in A. E. are the result and not the cause of zinc deficiency.