Cardiomyopathy Associated with Selenium Deficiency

To the Editor: We read with interest the recent reports of cardiomyopathy associated with selenium deficiency in the May 14 and May 21 issues. Johnson et al. 1 described an Occidental patient in whom selenium deficiency was associated with dilated (congestive) cardiomyopathy in the setting of prolonged parenteral alimentation. They found erythrocyte selenium and glutathione peroxidase levels that were approximately 10 per cent of the normal values. Collipp and Chen 2 described a two-year-old black girl on Long Island with a congestive cardiomyopathy and depressed selenium levels whose condition improved after selenium replacement. Selenium is a trace element that is an essential . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.