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A Spatial Ecological Study on Serum Selenium and Keshan Disease in Heilongjiang Province, China

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Abstract

Background

There are no reports on the spatial ecology of serum selenium and Keshan disease in Heilongjiang Province in China.

Objective

This study aimed to conduct a spatial assessment of Keshan disease elimination at the level of the etiological molecular marker.

Methods

An ecological study design was used. The levels of serum selenium of the 571 residents aged between 17 and 35 years and living in rural areas, townships, and cities in 63 Keshan disease endemic counties and 46 non-endemic counties in Heilongjiang Province were measured using atomic fluorescence spectrometry. A spatial analysis of serum selenium levels was conducted.

Results

The median serum selenium level of the 571 participants was 1.00 μmol/L, and that of participants living in Keshan disease endemic areas was 0.97 μmol/L, which was significantly lower compared to the level of those living in non-endemic areas (1.01 μmol/L, P = 0.0037). Serum selenium levels of the participants living in rural areas, townships, and cities were significantly different (P < 0.001) at 0.95 μmol/L, 1.00 μmol/L, and 1.04 μmol/L, respectively. Spatial regression analysis showed that the distribution of serum selenium levels was positively correlated with the per capita gross domestic product.

Conclusion

The analysis of the spatial distribution of serum selenium levels provided precise visual evidence that selenium deficiency may still be present among residents of Keshan disease endemic counties of Tangyuan, Mulan, Lingdong, Suiling, and Dongshan. Selenium levels should therefore be included in the national surveillance of Keshan disease.

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Data Availability

Not applicable.

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Funding

This research leading to these results received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Agreement No [81773368].

Author information

Author notes

  1. Shan Han

    Present address: Infectious Disease Hospital of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, China

  2. Huihui Zhou

    Present address: Jining Medical University, Jining, China

  3. Xiao Zhang

    Present address: Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, China

  4. Hong Liang

    Present address: Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar, China

  5. Xu Liu and Yanan Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Keshan Disease, Chinese Center for Endemic Disease Control, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Harbin, 150081, People’s Republic of China

    Xu Liu, Yanan Wang, Shan Han, Yiyi Zhang, Yuanjie Zou, Shengqi Su, Huihui Zhou, Xiao Zhang, Hong Liang, Jie Hou & Tong Wang

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  1. Xu Liu
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Contributions

TW conceived the research. TW and XL developed the statistical analysis plan and had primary responsibility for final content. XL, YW, SH, YZ, YZ, SS, HZ, XZ, HL, and JH conducted the research and collected the study data. XL analyzed and interpreted the data. XL wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to writing, reading, and editing the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tong Wang.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Ethical Approval

Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the Harbin Medical University in Harbin, China. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Not applicable.

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Liu, X., Wang, Y., Han, S. et al. A Spatial Ecological Study on Serum Selenium and Keshan Disease in Heilongjiang Province, China. Biol Trace Elem Res 199, 3253–3261 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02478-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02478-0

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