Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Feb 25, 2026 1 hour, 59 minutes ago
Medical News: Researchers in Sweden and Germany have uncovered worrying evidence that low levels of a key selenium-related protein in the blood may signal early kidney damage and a much higher risk of serious kidney complications in people hospitalized for heart failure.
Low selenium protein levels may signal hidden kidney damage and sharply raise hospitalization risk in heart failure patients
A Closer Look at a Vital Nutrient
Selenium is a trace mineral the body needs in small amounts to fight inflammation and protect cells from damage. One of the most important carriers of selenium in the blood is a protein called Selenoprotein P, or SELENOP. This protein helps transport selenium to organs including the heart and kidneys.
The new study focused on patients admitted with acute heart failure at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden. The research was led by scientists from the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Nephrology at Skåne University Hospital, the Department of Clinical Sciences and Department of Cardiology at Lund University in Sweden, the Department of Clinical Chemistry at Lund University, the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine at Lund University, the Hypertension in Africa Research Team at North-West University in South Africa, and the Institut für Experimentelle Endokrinologie at Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany.
More Than Half Had Selenium Deficiency
The researchers studied 320 heart failure patients whose SELENOP levels were measured. The average age was 75, and nearly 70 percent were men. Alarmingly, 58 percent had selenium deficiency based on low SELENOP levels.
About 30 percent of the patients also showed early signs of kidney dysfunction known as selective glomerular hypofiltration syndrome, or SGHS. This condition is not easily detected by routine kidney tests but reflects subtle damage in how the kidneys filter certain molecules.
The study found that higher SELENOP levels were strongly linked to lower odds of having SGHS. In simple terms, patients with more of the selenium transport protein were less likely to show early kidney filtering problems.
Strong Link to Future Kidney Hospitalizations
Patients were followed for a median of 43 months. During that time, 28 were hospitalized for kidney disease, including acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease.
The findings were striking. Higher SELENOP levels were associated with a 40 percent lower risk of being hospitalized for kidney disease. The protective effect was even stronger for acute kidney injury alone, where higher SELENOP levels were linked to a 58 percent lower risk.
Even more concerning, patients classified as selenium deficient were four times more likely to be hospitalized for acute kidney injury compared to those with normal SELENOP levels.
This
Medical News report highlights that selen
ium status may not just reflect nutrition, but could also influence how vulnerable heart failure patients are to kidney complications.
Why This Matters
Kidney deterioration is a serious and common complication in people with heart failure. Once kidney problems develop, the risk of death and repeated hospital admissions increases sharply.
The researchers believe selenium-related proteins may help protect kidney cells from inflammation and oxidative stress. Without enough selenium, the kidneys may be more vulnerable during episodes of low blood pressure, infection, or fluid imbalance.
What the Study Means for Patients
The study suggests that measuring SELENOP could help doctors identify heart failure patients at higher risk of kidney damage long before standard tests show severe decline.
However, the researchers caution that this was an observational study, meaning it cannot prove that low selenium directly causes kidney injury. Larger trials are needed to determine whether selenium supplementation could reduce hospitalizations or improve survival.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this study provides compelling evidence that low levels of Selenoprotein P are closely linked to early kidney dysfunction and a sharply increased risk of hospitalization for acute kidney injury in patients with heart failure. With more than half of the studied patients showing selenium deficiency, the findings raise important questions about whether routine assessment of selenium status should become part of heart failure care. Although supplementation cannot yet be recommended without further trials, the results strongly suggest that selenium may play a protective role in both heart and kidney health, opening the door to new preventive strategies.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Nutrients.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/5/721
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Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/cardiology
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/nephrology-(kidneys)
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