Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2016) 41 EP986 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.41.EP986

ECE2016 Eposter Presentations Thyroid (non-cancer) (120 abstracts)

Selenium concentration in Korean patients with thyroid disease: a preliminary report

Sun Wook Kim 1 , Jae Hoon Chung 1 , Hye Jeong Kim 2 , Seo Young Sohn 3 , Young Nam Kim 1 , You-Bin Lee 1 , Hye-In Kim 1 & Seung-Eun Lee 1


1Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 2Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 3Myongji Hospital, Seonam University College of Medicine, Goyang, Republic of Korea.


Background: Selenium is an important trace element for thyroid hormone metabolism and its deficiency can cause hypothyroidism. Serum or plasma selenium concentration has been known as best biomarker which reflects selenium intake and reserve. We preliminarily assessed the serum or urine selenium concentrations in patients with thyroid disease compared to healthy normal population. We also investigated the correlation of serum selenium concentration with urine selenium concentration, thyroid hormone levels as well as urinary iodine concentration (UIC).

Methods: A total of 97 patients (32 men, 65 women, 52.4±14.7 years) with benign thyroid nodule or thyroid dysfunction who visited the Thyroid Center at Samsung Medical Center between 2008 and 2013 were included. Data of 175 healthy subjects provided by Lee et al. were used as control. Serum T3, free T4, and TSH concentrations were measured using commercialized RIA or IRMA kits. Serum/urine selenium and UIC were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Results: Median serum selenium concentration was 110 μg/l (95% CI, 73–156) with a range from 67 to 169 μg/l. Median urine selenium concentration was 66.3 μg/gCr (95% CI, 28.7–283.5) with a range from 14.4 to 489.0 μg/gCr. When compared to 175 healthy subjects [serum 84 μg/l (95% CI, 30–144), urine 34.5 μg/gCr (95% CI, 0.8–107.2)], serum & urine selenium concentrations of the patients with thyroid disease were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects (P<0.001, respectively). Serum selenium concentration was significantly correlated with urine selenium concentration after log transformation (r=0.88, P=0.022) but not with UIC, T3, free T4 and TSH concentrations.

Conclusions: Selenium concentrations of the patients with thyroid disease were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects. Serum selenium concentration was significantly correlated with urine selenium concentration.

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