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Low Selenium Levels Might Raise Odds of Knee Osteoarthritis: Presented at ACR
By Bruce Sylvester
SAN DIEGO, CA -- November 21, 2005 -- Insufficient selenium in the body appears to be associated with a higher frequency of knee osteoarthritis, researchers reported here at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting (ACR).
"Our research suggests that low selenium levels could be a potential and modifiable risk factor in osteoarthritis," said Joanne Jordan, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine and orthopedics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
For their study, Dr. Jordan and colleagues evaluated 940 new subjects in the Johnson County Osteoarthritis Project. They stratified patients according to age, sex, race, and x-ray severity of knee osteoarthritis, which ranged from none to moderate/severe.
He presented the study results during a presentation on November 15th.
The researchers assessed the selenium content of toenail samples from each subject using the Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, a qualitative and quantitative analytical technique for identifying major, minor, and trace elements. Toenails provide a consistent estimate of amounts of selenium in the body over a period of months and up to a year.
Selenium levels were adjusted for age, gender, race, and body mass index. The results show that low toenail selenium levels correlated positively to increased risk of radiographic knee osteoarthritis.
The association appeared in both African Americans and Caucasians, and in men and women, but some effects were more notable in African Americans and women.
"We look forward to future studies to potentially confirm our results and to examine whether selenium supplements can be used to inhibit development and progression of osteoarthritis," Dr. Jordan said.
[Presentation title: Low Selenium Levels are Associated With Increased Risk for Osteoarthritis of the Knee. Abstract 1189]
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