BOF:
37
A 26
year old male is admitted with diarrhoea, loss of weight and weakness. The
patient is known to have ulcerative colitis – pancolitis – and has been on
medication for the last 3 years. For 5 months prior to admission the patient
has been having bad diarrhoea and has been self medicating with varying doses
of steroids and asacol.
He has
also become a vegan as a friend had told him that this would cure his colitis.
On
examination the patient looked unwell and was underweight. There was alopecia
and dermatitis. Pulse 100 beats per minute BP110/70 abdomen soft no lumps no
tenderness.
In
this patient deficiency of which one of the following elements would account
for the dermatitis and alopecia?
a)
Zinc
b)
Copper
c)
Selenium
d)
Chromium
e)
Magnesium
Answer
:a)
Zinc
and manganese deficiency causes dermatitis and hair loss
Copper
deficiency causes anaemia and neutropaenia
Selenium deficiency causes cardiomyopathy
Magnesium deficiency causes hypocalcaemia
Chromium deficiency causes glucose intolerance
Revision Tip
Revise
nutritional failure KEYS to SUCCESS in Medicine
page 223-226
