Selenium in malnourished Sudanese children: status and interaction with clinical features.
Plasma selenium (Se), haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) were measured in 53 malnourished Sudanese children, age 6-36 months, and 11 children who had tuberculosis. Twelve healthy well-nourished children served as controls. The mean (+/- SD) plasma Se (mg/kg) was 0.05 (0.036), 0.070 (0.040), 0.063 (0.015), 0.73 (0.012), 0.082 (0.014) in children with kwashiorkor/marasmic kwashiorkor (oedematous group), marasmus, tuberculosis and healthy controls. The mean Se level in the various groups showed a significant difference (p < 0.002). Whereas the oedematous group differed significantly from the rest, there was no difference between the means of the marasmic, underweight, tuberculosis patients and controls. The mean plasma albumin (+/- SD) in oedematous group was 19.6 (6.6) g/l and ranged between 22.6 (5.0) and 33.1 (3.0) in the other groups. A significant positive correlation was found between plasma Se level, albumin, Hb and PCV (respectively, r = 0.46, p < 0.0001; r = 0.37, p < 0.001; r = 0.36, p < 0.002).
Salih
M A
MA
Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan.
Mohamed
E F
EF
Galgan
V
V
Jones
B
B
Hellsing
K
K
Bani
I A
IA
Alasha
E
E
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004487:Edema / Q000097:blood; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006529:Hepatomegaly; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007732:Kwashiorkor / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000097:blood; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*; D013397:Sudan; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000097:blood
D006454:Hemoglobins; D012643:Selenium