Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.06.1982, Síða 57

44
SELENIUM THERAPY OF MYOTONIC DYSTROPHY
G. Örndahl, A. Rindby and E. Selin
Dept. of Medicine, Östra Hospital and Dept. of Physics
Chalmers University, Gðteborg
It is well known that muscular dystrophy in cattle and sheep
can be cured by intake of selenium. Main symptoms of myotonic
dystrophy (MD) besides the muscular features are decreased
fertility, alopecia, cataract and cardiomyopathy.
All these symptoms can be cured or prevented by selenium among
animals. We therefore assumed that MD is a selenium deficiency
disease. Two years ago we started a therapy with selenium and
vitamine E of a MD patient. There was marked improvement of
the patient both from a subjective and an objective point of
view as shown by increased muscular strength and regression
of pathologic electromyographic findings.
This is to our knowledge the first reported case of a success-
ful treatment of myotonic dystrophy.