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Serum selenium values in healthy children aged 1-18 years in NE Slovenia
D Micetić-Turk1, Z Turk, L Radolli
1Department of Pediatrics, Maribor Teaching Hospital, Slovenia.
Insights
Serum selenium levels in Slovenian children increase with age, reaching adult levels by school age. This study tracked selenium status in healthy children aged 1-18 years.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Trace Element Metabolism
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element crucial for various physiological functions.
- Understanding regional variations in nutrient status is vital for public health.
- Limited data exists on serum selenium levels in healthy children in Slovenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the serum selenium status in healthy children residing in northeastern Slovenia.
- To investigate the relationship between age and serum selenium levels in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples were collected from 71 healthy children aged 1 to 18 years.
- Serum selenium concentrations were quantified using atomic spectrometry.
- Statistical analysis was performed to assess age-related differences.
Main Results:
- Serum selenium levels demonstrated a significant age-dependent increase.
- The youngest age group (1-2 years) had the lowest mean serum Se (74.9 ± 9.7 µg/l).
- Pre-school (3-5 years) and school-aged children (11-13 years) showed progressively higher levels (85.5 ± 10.0 µg/l and 93.9 ± 9.3 µg/l, respectively), with significant differences compared to the youngest group (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Serum selenium levels in Slovenian children gradually increase with age.
- By school age, children in this region achieve serum selenium levels comparable to healthy adults in Western Europe.
- These findings establish a baseline for pediatric selenium status in northeastern Slovenia.
Objective:
The objective of the paper was to establish the serum Se status in healthy children in the north-eastern region of Slovenia.
Subjects:
In 71 healthy children of the age group 1-18 years the serum Se values were determined by means of atomic spectrometry.
Results:
The results obtained show that the serum Se values depend on the age of the children. Thus the serum Se level in the youngest age group (1-2 years) was 74.9 +/- 9.7 micrograms/l; in the pre-school age group (3-5 years) it was 85.5 +/- 10.0 micrograms/l; and in the group of school children (11-13 years) it was 93.9 +/- 9.3 micrograms/l. The difference between the serum Se values in the youngest age group and all the other groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
The serum Se levels rise gradually so that by the time the children reach school age their serum Se levels equal those found in healthy adult persons in Italy and several Western European countries, e.g. The Netherlands.