title: Low selenium status and cot deaths.
abstract: Selenium is a naturally occurring trace element essential to the health of many mammal and avian species. Low levels of selenium are evidenced by a variety of symptoms, mainly in the cardiac and musculo-skeletal systems. Tasmania and South Island, New Zealand, both have low soil levels of selenium and high rates of cot death. Evidence is presented to suggest that these may be related via a pathway involving maternal selenium status during gestation or low selenium content in mothers' milk.
authors.affiliation: University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: McGlashan
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012643:Selenium / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D013648:Tasmania / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D012643:Selenium