[Selenium in celiac disease]

Statistically significant lower levels of selenium (p less than 0.001) have been found both in 37 celiac subjects at free diet and in 36 at gluten-free diet with respect to controls. In patients at free diet the deficit of selenium can be attributed to malabsorption, while in patients at gluten-free diet it may be due to the diet itself. Recently low serum levels of selenium have been observed in several neoplasias; furthermore it's known that celiac patients show an increased incidence of gastrointestinal tumors related to known levels in standard population. Long term monitoring is therefore necessary to integrate diet with selenium in patients showing persistent deficit of this element.