Selenium is depleted in Crohn's disease on enteral nutrition.
OBJECTIVE
[corrected] Selenium is an important trace element and its deficiency has been reported to be associated with cardiomyopathy or gastrointestinal cancer. The aim of this study is to clarify the selenium status in Crohn's disease (CD) on enteral nutrition.


METHODS
We measured serum selenium concentrations in 53 patients with CD and compared them with those in 21 healthy controls. Twenty-nine patients were under the treatment by enteral nutrition (EN group), and the remaining 24 patients were free from formulated enteral nutrition (non-EN group).


RESULTS
While the serum selenium concentration in the non-EN group was not decreased when compared to controls, the value in the EN group was significantly lower than those in the non-EN group and in controls. Clinical manifestations of selenium deficiency were found in a patient on exclusive enteral nutrition. In the EN group, the serum selenium concentration showed an inverse correlation with the duration and the daily dose of enteral nutrition. In the non-EN group, the serum selenium concentrations were inversely correlated with the Crohn's disease activity index.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that patients with CD on enteral nutrition are at risk for selenium deficiency and that even patients without enteral nutrition may develop selenium deficiency at the active phase of the disease.
Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashiku, Fukuoka City, Japan. fkuro60@f3.dion.ne.jp
Fumitoshi
F
Kuroki
Takayuki
T
Matsumoto
Mitsuo
M
Iida
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000473:pathology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D012643:Selenium