Benefit of selenium and vitamin D supplementation in thyroid eye disease
Reviewed by Claire Howard

There is some limited evidence of as association between thyroid eye disease (TED) and nutritional deficiencies including selenium and vitamin D. Prior studies show that selenium can reduce TPO-antibody concentrations and improve hypothyroidism and post-partum thyroiditis. Limited evidence also shows that vitamin D supplementation may be a potential adjunct treatment strategy to slow disease progression due to its role in innate and adaptive immunity. The authors report results of a retrospective chart review on all patients seen between 2016 and 2017 at their Houston Clinic, with a diagnosis of TED. Thirty-five patients met inclusion criteria and had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels available, and 19 had selenium levels available. On analysis, 7/35 (20%) had vitamin D deficiency, and 11 (31%) had vitamin D insufficiency. No patients had selenium deficiency. In conclusion, although both selenium and vitamin D supplements have been recommended for TED, further investigation is necessary to justify benefits for patients with TED. Further studies should include a larger sample size and have a prospective methodology.

Vitamin D and selenium in a thyroid eye disease population in Texas.
Sadaka A, Nguyen K, Malik A, et al.
NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY
2019;43(5):291-4.