01875nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653001100058653001200069653002900081653001100110653001300121653001200134653002500146653002000171653001800191653000900209653001500218653002800233653000900261100001200270700001400282700001600296700001600312245007600328300001000404490000600414520111500420022001401535       1974                            d  c1974 Jun 0810aBiopsy10aDapsone10aDermatitis Herpetiformis10aHumans10aKeratins10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aProtein Binding10aSerum Albumin10aSkin10aSkin Ulcer10aTuberculosis, Pulmonary10aZinc1 aOon B B1 aKhong K Y1 aGreaves M W1 aPlummer V M00aTrophic skin ulceration of leprosy: skin and serum zinc concentrations.  a531-30 v23 a<p>Skin and serum zinc measurements have been made in patients with leprosy with and without trophic skin ulceration and in several other groups. Serum zinc concentrations were decreased in leprosy irrespective of the presence or absence of skin ulceration. Serum zinc concentrations in leprosy were also unrelated to smears positive for Mycobacterium leprae and to the clinical type of leprosy. Since a decrease of the serum zinc was also found in patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and pulmonary tuberculosis it seems likely that the decreased serum zinc in leprosy is a nonspecific metabolic consequence of chronic skin and internal disease. The mean skin zinc concentration in leprosy did not differ significantly from the corresponding value in control subjects, the lack of agreement between serum and skin concentrations being possibly related to the presence of nonexchangeable keratin-bound zinc in skin. Though the clinical significance of lowered serum zinc concentrations in leprosy is uncertain therapeutic trials of zinc treatment in leprosy with trophic skin ulceration seem justifiable.</p>  a0007-1447