The effect of selenium supplementation on outcome in very low birth weight infants: A randomized controlled trial ☆ ☆☆

Abstract Background: Low selenium (SE) status has been documented in preterm infants and has been suggested to be a risk factor for chronic lung disease. Methods: A total of 534 infants with birth weight Results: No significant differences were seen between the groups with respect to primary or secondary outcome measures, with the exception that fewer supplemented infants had an episode of sepsis after the first week of life ( P P Conclusions: Postnatal SE supplementation in very low birth weight infants did not improve neonatal outcome. Further investigation of SE supplementation of mothers from the second half of pregnancy is warranted.(J Pediatr 2000;136:473-80)