Low plasma selenium concentrations and mortality among older community-dwelling adults: the InCHIANTI Study.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the relationship between plasma selenium levels at enrollment and all-cause mortality over a 6-year period among participants in the InCHIANTI study.


METHODS
1042 men and women > or =65 years from the InCHIANTI study, a population- based study of older adults living in the Chianti region of Tuscany, a population-based cohort in Tuscany, Italy. Plasma selenium was measured at enrollment (1998-2000), and vital status was ascertained until May 2006.


RESULTS
During follow-up, 237 participants (22.7%) died. At enrollment, mean (SD) plasma selenium concentrations among participants who survived or died were 0.96 (0.14) and 0.87 (0.18) micromol/L (p<0.0001), respectively. The proportion of participants who died, from lowest to highest quartile of selenium, was 41.3, 27.0, 18.1 and 13.5% (p<0.0001 by Mantel-Haenszel chi-square). After adjusting for age, sex, education, and chronic diseases, adults in the lowest quartile of plasma selenium at enrollment had higher mortality compared with those in the highest quartile (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.60, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.04-2.47, p=0.034).


CONCLUSIONS
Low plasma selenium may be an independent predictor of mortality among older adults living in the community.
Lauretani
Fulvio
F
Tuscany Regional Agency, Florence, Italy.
Semba
Richard D
RD
Bandinelli
Stefania
S
Ray
Amanda L
AL
Ruggiero
Carmelinda
C
Cherubini
Antonio
A
Guralnik
Jack M
JM
Ferrucci
Luigi
L
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency*
D012643:Selenium