Abstract
Selenium (Se) concentration in the serum of 25 healthy persons (Normal Group), 13 non-dialyzed uremic patients (CRF Group), 53 patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis (HD Group) and 25 patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD Group), was determined.
Mean Se concentrations in the CRF Group, HD Group, and CAPD Group were significantly lower than in the Normal Group, and in the CRF Group were significantly lower than in the HD Group.
In the CRF Group there was a significant positive correlation between serum Se concentration and red blood cell count, and between serum Se concentration and hematocrit values as well.
These results suggest that the decreased serum Se concentration in the CRF Group might be caused by anemia.
In the HD Group, there was a significant negative correlation between serum Se concentration and HD duration.
In the CAPD Group there was a significant negative correlation between serum Se concentration and CAPD duration.
These results showed that the decreased serum Se levels in the HD and the CAPD Groups caused by prolonged dialysis treatment.
The rate of decrease during prolonged dialysis treatment is higher in the CAPD Group than in the HD group.
On the other hand, in 12 HD patients, the plasma Se concentration after HD was significantly higher than the serum Se concentration before HD, but when plasma Se concentrations after HD were corrected for hematocrit values, there was no significant difference.
These results suggest that patients with low selenium levels, especially long term CAPD patients might be at risk because of selenium deficiency, i. e., risks of increased incidence of cancer, muscle pain, decreasing immune function and cardiovascular disease etc.
