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Low serum selenium is associated with the severity of organ failure in critically ill children

M Broman1, Mattias Lindfors1, Åke Norberg2

  • 1Department of Pediatric Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care, ECMO-Centre at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|July 11, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Low serum selenium and high reduced glutathione were linked to multiple organ failure in critically ill children. This suggests selenium is vital for glutathione peroxidase function in pediatric intensive care units.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Pediatric Critical Care
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Low serum selenium is linked to inflammation and organ failure in adult ICU patients.
  • Critically ill children's selenium status and its relation to organ failure are less understood.
  • This study investigates serum selenium and glutathione status in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate serum selenium concentrations in critically ill children.
  • To explore the relationship between serum selenium and multiple organ failure (MOF) in PICU patients.
  • To assess the association between selenium status, MOF, and glutathione levels in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cohort study of 100 critically ill children (PICU patients).
  • An age-stratified reference group of 60 healthy children was included.
  • Serum selenium and glutathione (reduced and total) were measured at admission and day 5.

Main Results:

  • Low serum selenium concentration was significantly associated with multiple organ failure (p < 0.001).
  • A high reduced fraction of glutathione (GSH/tGSH) was also linked to MOF (p < 0.01).
  • A correlation was observed between low serum selenium and high GSH/tGSH (r = -0.19, p = 0.03).

Conclusions:

  • Both low serum selenium and high reduced glutathione fractions are associated with MOF development in PICU patients.
  • The findings support the hypothesis that selenium is crucial for glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity.
  • Maintaining adequate selenium levels may be important for mitigating organ failure in critically ill children.
Abstract

Keywords:
GlutathioneMultiple organ failureNormal selenium concentrationOxidative stressPICUSelenium concentration in critically ill

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