Cross-sectional Study: Relationship Between Serum Selenium and Hypertension in the Shandong Province of China

Although selenium, which is a necessary trace element for the human body, has been considered to be beneficial to the cardiovascular system and helpful to lower blood pressure, more and more evidence shows that high amounts of selenium are a risk factor for hypertension. A random multistage sampling which included the cluster method was performed; a total of 9076 urban and rural residents between 18 and 80 years old in the Shandong province of China were investigated by questionnaire, physical examination, and laboratory tests. The prevalence of hypertension was 42.1% in males and 35.3% in females. The mean (standard deviation) selenium concentration was 124.68 (36.32) μg/l in males and 119.54 (31.88) μg/l in females. After adjusting for potential confounders, logistic regression analysis showed that the highest selenium levels were associated with a risk of hypertension (OR = 1.192; 95% CI 1.009-1.407) in females, while there was no significant difference in males (OR = 1.043; 95% CI 0.864-1.259). Our findings suggest that high selenium levels in females are more likely to increase the risk of hypertension compared to similar levels in males. More attention should be paid to the metabolic mechanisms and physiological effects of selenium in females.