Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 13, Issue 5 496-498, Copyright © 1994 by American College of Nutrition
A possible beneficial effect of selenium administration in antiarrhythmic therapy
D. Lehr
New York Medical College, N.Y. 10025-6421.
OBJECTIVE: The following review of the literature on the importance of
Selenium (Se) in myocardial homeostasis and of the pharmacology of this
trace metal, represents an attempt to search, without prejudice to other
possible explanations, for a rationale of a beneficial effect of Se
substitution as an adjuvant to antiarrhythmic therapy. BACKGROUND: For
several years, in the early 1980s, I had to deal with the problem of a
serious ventricular arrhythmia (non-sustained and sustained ventricular
tachycardia) which was remarkably resistant to a battery of the most potent
antiarrhythmic agents. Eventually, dramatic improvement, lasting for a
period of 8 years, was achieved with Flecainide, which, however, left
unsolved the episodic occurrence of disabling ventricular bigemini. Over
the most recent period of 1 year and 8 months, there was a sudden and
unexplained return to unbroken normal sinus rhythm. Among the multiplicity
of possible reasons for this fortunate development, the concurrent
introduction of Se substitution appeared as the most obvious, though very
tentative explanation. Substitution of this trace metal preceded the
extinction of ventricular bigemini by 1 week and actually represented the
sole modification of otherwise reasonably standardized conditions of
antiarrhythmic therapy, life style and diet.
