Use of selenium in medical practice (review)
Shestakova T.P. 

Moscow regional research clinical institute named after M.F. Vladimirskiy

Selenium is a microelement, which is part of the enzymes, that play an important role in the work of the thyroid gland, reproductive, immune systems and in carcinogenesis.
People receive selenium from food and water. There are selenium deficient regions on the planet, where selenium deficient diseases are common. Both lack of selenium, and its excess are unfavorable for human health. The main organ that uses selenium is the thyroid gland. It contains the largest amount of selenoproteins that regulate the formation of active and inactive forms of thyroid hormones, and also protect the thyroid gland from oxidative stress. Selenium effectively reduces the level of thyroperoxidase (TPO) antibodies in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, improves the quality of life of patients with endocrine ophthalmopathy. Its role in the formation of diffuse and nodular goiter, as well as thyroid cancer, is studied. Researches on the effectiveness of including selenium in the treatment of Basedow's goiter are conducted. At present, large-scale studies on the effect of selenium on the replacement dose of levothyroxine sodium and the quality of life of patients with hypothyroidism have not yet been completed. Despite many unresolved issues, selenium is already used in the clinical practice of endocrinologists. The main indications for the appointment of selenium are autoimmune thyroiditis and endocrine ophthalmopathy.

Key words: selenium, thyroid, autoimmunity, TPO antibody, autoimmune thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, endocrine orbitopathy. 
For citation: Shestakova T.P. Use of selenium in medical practice (review) // RMJ. 2017. № 22. P.1654 –1659.