title: Progressive Chagas' cardiomyopathy is associated with low selenium levels.
abstract: Selenium (Se) deficiency is linked with some cardiomyopathies. Its status was determined in 170 patients with chronic Chagas' disease from 2 Brazilian regions (Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte), clinically stratified into groups as follows: indeterminate or asymptomatic (IND); cardiac asymptomatic (CARDa); cardiac symptomatic with moderate to severe heart dysfunction (CARDb); and healthy adults (HA), used for comparison. In most HA, Se levels were normal, excluding an overall Se deficiency. Se was significantly lower in CARDb than in HA, IND, or CARDa patients. This was not associated with a concomitant decrease in activity of glutathione peroxidase. Thyrotropin was normal, excluding iodine deficiency. Se correlated positive and significantly with ventricular ejection fraction (assessed via echocardiography). Asymptomatic children with acute Chagas' disease had normal Se as well as 5 noninfectious cases of cardiomyopathy. Low Se was found in 6 of 10 chagasic patients with digestive megasyndromes. Thus, the decrease in Se in chagasic patients seems to be a biological marker for Trypanosoma cruzi infection and related to the progression of pathology.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ultra-estrutura e Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: Andréa P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Alejandro Marcel
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hasslocher-Moreno
authors.forename: Sergio S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.forename: Juliana A S
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Manoel Otavio C
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Correa-Oliveira
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nève
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanderpas
authors.forename: Tania C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Araújo-Jorge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D013972:Thyrotropin; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium