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Is selenium deficiency the cause of uraemic cardiomyopathy?
E R Maher1, B Sampson, J R Curtis
1Department of Medicine, Charing Cross Hospital, London, England.
Insights
Serum selenium (Se) levels were studied in dialysis patients. Low Se was common, but it did not significantly impact left ventricular function, suggesting Se deficiency isn't a major cause of heart failure in uremia.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Clinical Nutrition
Background:
- Maintenance hemodialysis patients often exhibit low serum selenium (Se) levels.
- Cardiac dysfunction is a significant concern in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum selenium status and left ventricular performance in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function was performed.
- Serum selenium concentrations were measured in 33 patients on maintenance hemodialysis.
Main Results:
- Low serum Se was frequently observed in the study population.
- No significant differences in echocardiographic indices of left ventricular function were found between patients with low (<0.9 umol/l) and adequate (>=0.9 umol/l) serum Se levels.
Conclusions:
- Serum selenium deficiency does not appear to be a primary contributor to cardiac failure in patients with uremia.
- Further research may explore other factors influencing cardiac function in hemodialysis patients.
Abstract:
We studied the relationship between serum selenium (Se) and left ventricular performance in 33 patients on maintenance haemodialysis. Low serum Se was frequent. However, there were no significant differences in echocardiographic indices of left ventricular function between patients with serum Se less than 0.9 umol/l and those with serum Se greater than 0.9 umol/l. We conclude that Se deficiency is not an important cause of cardiac failure in uraemia.