LOW SELENIUM STATUS IN ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOSIS IS CORRELATED WITH AMINOPYRINE BREATH TEST - PRELIMINARY EFFECTS OF SELENIUM SUPPLEMENTATION

The relationship among impaired selenium status, lipid peroxidation, a nd liver function was examined in 19 hospitalized patients with severe alcoholic cirrhosis. Plasma selenium was found to be significantly lo wer (mean +/- SD: 54 +/- 13 mu g/L) than in healthy controls (83 +/- 1 1 mu g/L) and plasma malondialdehyde, assessed as thiobarbituric acid reactants, which reflects lipid peroxidation, was increased (2.0 +/- 1 .2 mu mol/L vs < 1.2 mu mol/L in controls). The mean C-14 aminopyrine breath test, an indicator of Liver function, was lower than normal (2. 7 +/- 1.9 vs 6.3 +/- 0.9% in controls) and found to be significantly c orrelated with plasma selenium (r = 0.59, p < 0.05). A prospective, ra ndomized selenium supplementation trial was conducted in a group of 16 patients who received either daily 100 mu g selenium as enriched yeas t during 4 mo or a placebo. Among the 10 patients who completed the st udy, plasma selenium significantly increased in the supplemented group (n = 4; before: 58 +/- 10 mu g/L, and after 101 +/- 12 mu g/L, p < 0. 01) contrary to the placebo group (n = 6, before: 47 +/- 10 mu g/L, af ter: 57 +/- 9 mu g/L, n.s.). C-14 aminopyrine breath test improved in three out of four selenium-supplemented patients and in three out of s ix placebo patients, but the small number of patients did not allow st atistical evaluation. These results demonstrate that low selenium stat us in alcoholic cirrhosis is correlated to Liver function and could be improved by supplementation.