Positive Health Online

Abstract

CHARIOT and BIGNANI, Department of Pathology, Hopital Henri-Mondor, Creteil, France, patrick.cheriot@rpc.ap-hop-paris.fr, have reviewed (92 references) skeletal muscle disorders associated with Selenium deficiency .

Background

Patients with selenium deficiency have reported skeletal muscle disorders characterized by muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, and serum creatine kinase elevation. This review aimed to evaluate the literature on such disorders.

Methodology

This systematic literature review used the Medline and Cochrane Library databases to produce 38 relevant articles.

Results

3 categories of conditions were found: (1) insufficient selenium intake in areas low in soil selenium; (2) parenteral or enteral nutrition, or malabsorption; (3) chronic conditions associated with oxidative stress such as chronic alcohol abuse or HIV infection. Im low soil selenium areas, reversibility of muscular disorders was similar for selenium supplementation or placebo, suggesting a role for other factors in the development of the disease. In parenteral or enteral nutrition, or malabsorption, muscle symptoms disappeared upon supplementation with selenium in most cases. It is unclear why only a minority of patients with selenium deficiency present with muscle disorders.

Conclusion

Studies of selenium-deficient myopathies would be useful in critically ill patients, alcoholics, and HIV infected patients.

References

Chariot P, Bignani O. Skeletal muscle disorders associated with selenium deficiency in humans. Muscle and Nerve 27 (6): 662-668, Jun 2003.