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Selenium Status of Seven Chronic Intravenous Hyperalimentation Patients
Author(s) -
Lane Helen W.,
Barroso Alberto O.,
Englert Deann,
Dudrick Stanley J.,
Macfadyen Bruce S.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.935
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1941-2444
pISSN - 0148-6071
DOI - 10.1177/0148607182006005426
Subject(s) - medicine , parenteral nutrition , intensive care medicine
Selenium status was determined on seven patients receiving long‐term intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) and they were followed monthly for 4 to 17 months. Analysis of the IVH solutions for selenium revealed no detectable amounts. The selenium indices measured were (1) erythrocyte selenium levels, (2) erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activities (GSH‐Px), and (3) plasma selenium levels. In general, the IVH population had significantly lower values ( p < 0.001) for these selenium indices than a healthy population (n = 275). The plasma selenium levels decreased to below the normal range within one to two months after initiation of IVH. The below normal ranges varied by patient: three patients by three months, one patient by nine months, and three patients had low and normal values throughout the study. No consistent correlation of individual patient's erythrocyte GSH‐Px activities and erythrocyte selenium levels existed, but a positive correlation (r = 0.51, p < 0.01) occurred between plasma selenium levels and erythrocyte GSH‐Px activities. Thus, erythrocyte GSH‐Px activities decrease parallel to decreases in plasma selenium levels but not with changes in erythrocyte selenium levels. These data suggest that some of these IVH patients may be at risk for selenium deficiency and that selenium supplementation of IVH solutions may be required. Furthermore, these data suggest that the measurement of erythrocyte GSH‐Px activity or selenium levels in some IVH patients may not be related to available body selenium.