Related Experiment Videos
Elevated serum selenium in diabetic children
Insights
Diabetic children show significantly higher serum selenium levels compared to healthy children. This finding in pediatric diabetes may relate to altered lipid metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Trace Element Research
Background:
- Selenium is an essential trace element with antioxidant properties.
- Altered lipid metabolism is a common complication in diabetes mellitus.
- Previous research has not extensively investigated selenium status in diabetic children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine and compare serum selenium concentrations in diabetic children and healthy controls.
- To explore potential correlations between serum selenium levels and diabetes indicators.
Main Methods:
- Serum selenium levels were measured in 27 diabetic children and 13 healthy controls using neutron activation analysis.
- Participants were children aged 5-18 years with varying diabetes duration.
- Demographic data, growth patterns, and diabetes control indicators were recorded.
Main Results:
- Diabetic children exhibited significantly higher mean serum selenium concentrations (7.4 ± 0.8 µg/100 ml) than healthy controls (6.5 ± 0.8 µg/100 ml).
- The observed difference was statistically highly significant (p < 0.01).
- No correlation was found between serum selenium levels and age, weight, height, or diabetes control indicators.
Conclusions:
- Diabetic children demonstrate elevated serum selenium levels compared to their healthy peers.
- The elevated selenium may be linked to metabolic changes, particularly altered lipid metabolism, in pediatric diabetes.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the role of selenium in the pathophysiology of childhood diabetes.
Abstract:
Twenty-seven diabetic children, 16 girls and 11 boys, 5-18 years of age, with a duration of the disease ranging from 2-15 years, comprised the study group. Thirteen children with a similar age and sex distribution, living in the same area served as healthy controls. All 40 children had a normal growth pattern. The mean serum selenium concentration in the diabetic children, determined by neutron activation analysis, was 7.4 +/- 0.8 micrograms/100 ml (mean +/- SD) and in the healthy controls 6.5 +/- 0.8 micrograms/100 ml. The difference between the two groups was statistically highly significant (p less than 0.01). Boys and girls in both groups had nearly identical mean serum selenium levels and no correlation was observed between the selenium concentrations and either the age, weight or height of the children or the indicators of diabetic control. The selenium status in diabetic children has not been reported previously. The possibility of elevated serum selenium in diabetic children in response to altered lipid metabolism is discussed.