Re: Selenium and Autoimmunity

[Guest guest]

Here is a post I received from H. Might be of interest to some.

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Dear ,

This may be of interest to list members who have thyroiditis along with RP.

If they have not been tested for Hashimoto's antibodies they might want the

test. They should also consider adding selenium to their daily intake of

supplements.

My daughter has Hashimoto's thyroiditis and I was also diagnosed with it

(back in 1963). At that time the diagnosis was with surgery and a study of

symptoms and scans because there was no test for the Hashimoto's antibody.

There is a lot of research that shows that Hashimoto's can mean that the

patient will eventually get other A-I disease and that is why the University

of MN MADGC study group are trying to find the Hashimoto's gene among

patients with multiple A-I disease. List members with Hashimoto's as well as

RP or other problems can participate if all family members are willing to

send in blood samples (there is no cost to the patient -- each contributor

gets $25 for the trip to the blood lab). List members who want to learn

about the study should write to: novit001@... (Jill Novitzke)

Or visit the study web site at: http://www.madgc.org

When I was first diagnosed with RP and Polyarteritis I had been taking

synthroid for almost 40 years. My doc included Selenium in my " supplements

allowed " with the pred and Cytoxan I take. The Selenium was allowed for

anti-cancer potential more than anything else.

When the MADGC study asked if our family would send in blood my doc agreed

to test me for the Hashimoto's antibodies (after almost 2 years on the meds

for RP and Poly-A ) and the test came back negative. The MN study group

took me anyway because I had " multiple A-I disease " .

Since that time my need for synthroid has fallen way down and then suddenly

rose again - higher than it had ever been. I have not been retested for

Hashimoto's antibodies and have not asked the doc to pursue the reason for

the change.

There is no way to know if the original diagnosis was right - only that I

had the classic symptoms of Hashimoto's with damage to the thyroid gland from

inflamed non-cancerous nodules that eventually turned to scar tissue along

with a very low metabolism. The original diagnosis could be wrong - there

never were antibodies - and it could be right. If it was right the lack of

Hashimoto's antibodies a year ago might simply be a benefit of being on

immuno suppressant and selenium for a while.

There is no way to explain my increased need for synthroid recently -

probably should have another Hashimoto's antibody test one day.

In the meantime the article below encourages me to continue the selenium

supplement not just for anti-cancer characteristics but also for thyroid

health.

The complete article may be available at Medline and the source is cited at

the end of the abstract.

Selenium Supplementation in Patients with Autoimmune Thyroiditis Decreases

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies Concentrations

by <A HREF= " http://thyroid.about.com/mbiopage.htm " > J. Shomon</A>

October, 2002 -- German researchers have found that in areas with severe

selenium deficiency, there is a higher incidence of thyroiditis due to a

reduction in the activity of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase in

thyroid cells. Selenium-dependent enzymes also have a number of effects on

the immune system, and selenium deficiency can contribute to the development

and continuation of autoimmune thyroid diseases. In the study, patients

received 200 micrograms of sodium selenite supplements over three months.

Thyroid antibody levels decreased by as much as 40 to 63%, and a small

percentage of patients in the selenium-treated group had antibody levels that

completely returned to normal. The researchers concluded that selenium

supplementation may reduce inflammation in patients with autoimmune

thyroiditis.

Source: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol. 87, No. 4

1490-1498

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