The Glucagonoma Syndrome (Necrolytic Migratory Erythema) and Zinc

To the Editor: We agree with Drs. Tasman-Jones and Kay (N Engl J Med 293:830, 1975) that the skin lesions that occur in patients with the glucagonoma syndrome closely mirror those present in patients with acute zinc deficiency. Recently, however, we had the opportunity to diagnose and manage a 19-year-old woman with the glucagonoma syndrome whose serum zinc level was 93 μg per 100 ml (normal, 68 to 110). The diagnosis was established on the basis of clinical signs (necrolytic migratory erythema and glossitis), a fivefold elevation of plasma glucagon levels and electron microscopy of surgical tissue demonstrating the. . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.