Tag: Selenium supplementation

In regions with low soil selenium content, the risk of a rare and severe form of heart disease significantly increases. It is this mineral deficiency that causes Keshan disease, an endemic congestive cardiomyopathy, though other factors are often involved.

Keshan disease, once a fatal endemic cardiomyopathy with alarmingly high mortality rates in parts of China, is treated primarily with selenium supplementation and supportive medical therapy, strategies that have dramatically improved patient prognosis and reduced disease incidence.