Correlation of Serum Selenium in Asthma Patients with Severity of the Disorder

Asthma is characterized by reversible airway obstruction, increased bronchial hyper-responsiveness and chronic inflammation, as well as higher levels of oxidative stress mainly due to decreased antioxidant defenses. Our primary aim was to investigate the correlation of serum selenium (Se) levels with the severity of asthma across gender, age, family history, and prevalence from childhood. Selenium levels in blood samples in 103 asthmatic patients and 103 healthy individuals were evaluated. The obtained data indicated that the mean serum Se levels in asthma patients were found to be twofold lower as compared to the controls (p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in the asthmatic patients when gender and age were considered. Patients characterized by family history of asthma and inhaler usage had 8% and 7% lower serum Se concentrations, although the difference was only border significant (p = 0.05). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated a significant inverse association of inhaler usage (β =  - 0.226; p < 0.001) with serum Se levels even after adjustment for asthma severity (β =  - 0.644; p < 0.001). While this report clearly necessitates a more detailed study, it is plausible that Se deficiency leads to impaired immune response, and therefore, Se supplementation might modulate oxidative stress in the lung and could potentially alleviate asthma pathophysiology.