Zinc is an essential trace element. Many important enzymatic activities are zinc dependent. Therefore, it is not surprising that zinc deficiency is clinically expressed in rapidly growing tissues. The clinical features of zinc deficiency are not specific. The clinical manifestations of zinc deficiency include inadequate growth, hypogonadism, anorexia, alopecia, diarrhea, taste, and smell alterations, impaired wound healing, skin lesions, and diminished immune function. Acquired zinc deficiency is an uncommon entity. Zinc deficiency is defined most frequently in patients who had burns, malabsorption, severe losses from the gastrointestinal tract, and total parenteral nutrition (PN) with inadequate or no zinc in the nutrient mixture. In this case report, we present a 46-year-old female patient with altered mental status due to zinc deficiency, who was operated for ulcerative colitis, and who was fed with PN for a long time that did not contain zinc in the nutrient mixture.

Keywords: Deficiency, parenteral nutrition, zinc