Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, resulting in  chronic inflammatory lesion of the nerve or destruction of myelin, the white substance of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. This disease, like other autoimmune diseases are more common among young women in a way that most young people are affected with it. The disease  affects older aged men in and is diagnosed in advanced stages. However, Isfahan has been reported as one of the high risk areas in this disease. In many studies the relation between this disease with metals such as zinc, copper and iron has been investigated. Researchers studying particular diseases have detected body element concentrations in these patients using blood or spinal fluid samples. The present study is an attempt to use the blood samples to investigate the relationship between the blood concentration of heavy metals in Isfahan area and their correlation with MS disease.

Methods: To determine the selenium element level in blood of patients with MS, blood samples were obtained from 58 patients with the collaboration of MS department of Isfahan Ayatollah Kashani Hospital randomly within four weeks and were analyzed by neutron activation analysis method using t-test. Results: The results showed that selenium in the blood of MS patients are lower level than normal.

Conclusion: Any deviation from the normal level of selenium can be one of the causes of multiple sclerosis, or at least it may play role in what kind of MS a patient could have.