Selenium Supplementation of Patients With Cirrhosis

March 6, 2012 updated by: RBurk, Vanderbilt University
The purpose of this study is to determine whether patients with liver disease can improve their nutritional selenium status by taking supplemental selenium.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Detailed Description

Selenium is an essential nutrient. Selenium carries out its biological functions through selenoproteins. The most abundant selenoprotein in the plasma is selenoprotein P, which is largely synthesized in the liver. Patients with liver disease often have less than half the selenoprotein P levels of normal individuals. This suggests that people with liver disease are not meeting their selenium requirements and may benefit from additional selenium.

We proposed to compare the effects of two different forms of supplemental selenium on plasma selenium levels among patients with severe liver cirrhosis and healthy individuals (controls). Patients and controls were randomly assigned to one of 3 treatment groups: 200 µg selenium per day as selenate, 200 µg selenium per day as selenomethionine, or a placebo. The intervention lasted 8 weeks. Blood was measured initially and after 2 and 4 weeks of supplementation. Selenium, selenoprotein P and glutathione peroxidase were measured in the plasma. We compared changes in selenium and selenoprotein levels between liver cirrhosis patients and healthy controls.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

48

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Tennessee
      • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
        • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy Adults
  • Adults with Child-Pugh Class C liver cirrhosis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of renal failure
  • Urgent need of liver transplant
  • Selenium supplements of >25 µg per day during the past year

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Plasma Selenium Biomarkers

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 1998

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2003

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 19, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 19, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 21, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 7, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 6, 2012

Last Verified

March 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DK54819
  • R01DK058763 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 1R03DK054819 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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