Keshan disease as an endemic, highly lethal cardiomyopathy, first reported in northeast China's Keshan County in 1935. It is named for the northeastern Chinese county Keshan, where the disease prevalence is high because of selenium-deficient soil.
There are several suspected causes of Keshan disease, including:
*Selenium deficiency
*Viral or fungal infection
*Malnutrition
*Environmental toxins
*Seasonal changes
Extensive cross-sectional epidemiological studies showed that low selenium concentrations in cereal grains and low selenium status of local residents were associated with the occurrence of Keshan disease. Keshan disease is often triggered by the presence of Coxsackievirus or some chemical trigger.
Keshan disease occurred essentially in hilly and mountainous areas with specific focal distribution in a wide belt-like region throughout mainland China, from northeast to southwest, and the low selenium area (based on soil selenium content) is also located in the same belt region. Selenium is a nutritional essential trace element relevant to some myocardiopathies, a condition that was first depicted in studies concerning Keshan cardiomyopathy.
Selenium as an indispensable trace element that plays an important role in many aspects of human health, such as antioxidant defenses, thyroid hormone metabolism, and the immune system.
Keshan disease and selenium deficiency
