Keshan Disease

Keshan disease is a congestive cardiomyopathy caused by a combination of dietary deficiency of selenium and the presence of a mutated strain of Coxsackievirus, named after Keshan County of Heilongjiang province, Northeast China, where symptoms were first noted. These symptoms were later found prevalent in a wide belt extending from northeast to southwest China, all due to selenium-deficient soil. The disease peaked in 1960-1970, claiming thousands of lives.

Often fatal, the disease afflicts children and women of child bearing age, characterized by heart failure and pulmonary edema. Over decades, Supplementation with selenium reduced this affliction.

It has previously been linked to the coxsackie B virus. Current research suggests that the lack of selenium results in a more virulent strain of the coxsackievirus becoming the dominant viral species present in the population of virus, but the mechanism of this selection event is presently unclear.

The disease got its name from the province it was originally discovered in, Keshan, China. Since its discovery, it can also be found in New Zealand and Finland. Keshan disease results from a selenium deficiency which is a nutrient we receive in our diet from eating foods that were grown in selenium enriched soils. Because of that factor, Keshan deficiency can be found anywhere that the level of selenium present in the soil is low. An individual with Keshan disease will have an abnormally large heart. Keshan disease can also lead to higher rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and strokes. In addition, an individual can experience eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, cataracts, alcoholism, and infections.