SELENIUM DEFICIENCY - REVERSIBLE CARDIOMYOPATHY AND SHORT-TERM INTRAVENOUS-FEEDING

We report the case of a patient with Crohn's disease receiving short-t erm postoperative parenteral nutrition supplemented with trace element s who nevertheless became selenium deficient with evidence of a cardio myopathy. This was fully reversible with oral selenium supplementation . Current parenteral feeding regimes may not contain enough selenium f or malnourished patients.