RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the paper was to establish the serum Se status in healthy children in the north-eastern region of Slovenia. SUBJECTS: In 71 healthy children of the age group 1-18 years the serum Se values were determined by means of atomic spectrometry. RESULTS: The results obtained show that the serum Se values depend on the age of the children. Thus the serum Se level in the youngest age group (1-2 years) was 74.9 +/- 9.7 micrograms/l; in the pre-school age group (3-5 years) it was 85.5 +/- 10.0 micrograms/l; and in the group of school children (11-13 years) it was 93.9 +/- 9.3 micrograms/l. The difference between the serum Se values in the youngest age group and all the other groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The serum Se levels rise gradually so that by the time the children reach school age their serum Se levels equal those found in healthy adult persons in Italy and several Western European countries, e.g. The Netherlands.
