Keshan disease is caused by a selenium deficiency and mainly affects young women and children. It can lead to heart failure and is prevalent in areas with low soil selenium content. Symptoms include an enlarged heart, chest pain, and nausea. Selenium supplementation can reverse the disease.
Keshan disease (KD) is a life-threatening condition that affects the heart muscle. It is caused by a selenium deficiency and is characterized by pulmonary edema and heart failure. As one of several types of nutritional diseases, Keshan disease is unique in that it mainly affects young women and children.
Selenium is an essential element found in soil and water and is important for optimal health of humans and animals. As an antioxidant, selenium works to protect against tissue oxidation throughout the body. Nutrition experts recommend that women and men consume an average of 55 micrograms of selenium each day and that women consume 60 micrograms a day during pregnancy and an average of 70 micrograms a day while breastfeeding. It’s important to pay attention to your selenium intake, however, as too much of it in your diet can cause serious health problems, just as too little can lead to the development of Keshan disease.
Due to low selenium content in soil, Keshan disease was originally discovered when it extensively affected women and children in Keshan province of China. Cases of KD have also been discovered in Finland and New Zealand, which are also areas known to have low selenium content in the soil. Although rarely reported elsewhere, cases of Keshan disease can occur in hospital patients who are fed intravenously for long intervals or in individuals with gastrointestinal problems that prevent optimal selenium absorption. Such a dietary deficiency is easily avoided with supplementation, which is also how KD is reversed after proper diagnosis.
One of the main symptoms of Keshan disease is an enlarged or inflamed heart muscle, known as congestive cardiomyopathy, which becomes visible on a heart exam. Symptoms may also include chest pain, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased pancreatic function. People with KD also have a higher risk of developing cancer, having a stroke or developing high blood pressure. Without proper treatment, KD can and often does result in congestive heart failure.
Apart from its development from a dietary deficiency or its prevalence in people suffering from gastrointestinal disease, it may be possible to get Keshan disease in another way. Research indicates that people with KD tend to show higher than normal amounts of antibodies to the Coxsackie B virus. Although both conditions have different symptoms, at some point in its development, the Coxsackie B virus can actually mutate into the disease Keshan.
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