Selenium and Arsenic Levels, Prevalence of Common Variants of Genes Involved in Their Metabolism, and Psoriasis Disease

Using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer we measured the concentration of selenium and arsenic in serum and blood samples from 336 unselected psoriatic patients and 336 matched healthy controls to evaluate any associations with the clinical course of the disease. We genotyped 336 patients and 903 matched controls to evaluate the prevalence of (rs4880), (rs1001179), (rs1050450), and (rs921943) polymorphisms using Taqman assays. The mean selenium (Se) level in serum was 74 µg/L in patients and 86 µg/L in controls ( < 0.001). The mean Se level in blood was 95 µg/L in patients and 111 µg/L in controls ( < 0.001). Psoriasis risk was greatest among participants with the lowest serum (