Adverse systemic arterial function in patients with selenium deficiency

Background Experimental studies have shown that selenium is involved in the synthesis of selenoproteins which might contribute to cardiovascular protection. However, the relationship between selenium deficiency and vascular function in clinical context remains unknown. Objective To investigate for any relationship between selenium deficiency and systemic arterial function in patients with high risk of vascular events. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting and Participants 306 consecutive patients with high risk for cardiovascular events (coronary artery disease 35%, acute/recurrent ischemic stroke 40%, diabetes mellitus 54%) followed up at internal medicine outpatient clinics. Measurements Non-invasive brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) was determined using vascular profiling system (VP-2000). Long-term intake of selenium was determined by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Results Mean daily selenium intake was 59.5 ± 52.1 mcg/day, and mean PWV was 1782.4 ± 418.4 cm/s. Patients with selenium intake