General dermatology and dermatology in primary health care

Young boy with high output diarrhea, who was extremely lethargic and irritable, presented with unusual peri-anal plaques extending to thighs. Close clinical examination and basic laboratory investigation clinched the diagnosis of acrodematitis enteropathica. Oral zinc supplementation resulted in rapid resolution of skin lesions and improvement in altered mental status, within 72 hours, which is pathognomonic.