Serum selenium levels in Saudi new-borns

Abstract

Selenium (Se) was measured in 300 umbilical cord blood samples collected from healthy pregnant women who live in Al-Kharj area in Saudi Arabia by means of Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry with the hydride t-system. The selenium concentration found in the serum of 300 newborns was 40.847 ± 8.969 μpg/L. Preterm infants had significantly lower serum selenium concentrations than full-term infants (32 ± 8.029 μg/L versus 41.323 ± 8.784 μg/L). Significant positive correlations were found between selenium levels and birth weight. Results of this study suggest that low selenium levels of new-borns in Al-Kharj may reflect an inadequate maternal dietary intake.