title: Selenium requirements in patients with inborn errors of amino acid metabolism and selenium deficiency.
abstract: The diets of 5 patients with phenylketonuria of maple-syrup-urine disease were supplemented with yeast which was rich in selenium. For 120 days the patients received 45 micrograms Se/day to increase the Se content of their diets to 10--12 ng Se/Kjoule. Before supplementation the selenium content of serum (5--15 ng/ml) and whole blood (10--27 ng/ml), and the activity of the erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (0.19--2.69 U37/g Hb), amounted to only 10--20% of normal. The serum selenium content reached normal values within 4 weeks of supplementation, followed by normalisation of the selenium content of whole blood within 4--8 weeks. Restoration of the activity of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase took 9 to 15 weeks--the red cell life span. There was a significant positive correlation between the selenium content of the erythrocytes and the activity of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000032:analysis / Q000201:enzymology; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008375:Maple Syrup Urine Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010661:Phenylketonurias / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012643:Selenium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium