Several diseases are associated with low selenium diets, or selenium deficiency. According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, selenium is a trace mineral that is important for your overall health. Selenium, which is required only in small amounts, is incorporated into proteins that become important antioxidant enzymes. The Office of Dietary Supplements states that, while selenium deficiency is rare in the United States, it is more commonly seen in countries, such as China, where soil concentration of selenium is low.
Keshan Disease
Keshan disease is a medical condition associated with a low selenium diet, or selenium deficiency. According to the MedlinePlus, Keshan disease, a disease caused by a deficiency of selenium, leads to an abnormality of your heart muscle in which your heart becomes enlarged and functions poorly. Keshan disease causes congestive cardiomyopathy, which means that your heart is dilated and your heart's pumping chambers contract poorly. In most cases, the left side of your heart performs worse than the right side of your heart. Keshan disease caused many childhood deaths in China between 1960 and 1970, until a link with selenium was established and selenium supplements provided. Children and women of childbearing age are most commonly affected by this condition. The condition is named after the location in China where symptoms were first noted.
Kashin-Beck Disease
Kashin-Beck disease is a medical condition associated with a diet low or deficient in selenium. The Kashin-Beck Disease Foundation states that Kashin-Beck disease, also known as big bone disease, is a crippling disease of your bones and joints that leads to stunted growth and joint deformities. Kashin-Beck disease usually affects remote, rural populations such as populations in rural China, Siberia and North Korea. Although the exact cause of Kashin-Beck disease is unknown, most researchers accept that the cause of this condition is multifactorial, with selenium deficiency being the underlying factor that predisposes your chondrocytes, or cartilage cells, to oxidative stress, or cell damage caused by free radicals. Common signs and symptoms associated with Kashin-Beck disease include progressive joint destruction, decreased joint range of motion and joint enlargement. The KBDF states that your ankles, knees, wrists and elbows are the most commonly affected joints.
Myxedematous Endemic Cretinism
Myxedematous endemic cretinism is a disease associated with low selenium diets, or selenium deficiency. According to Dr. Ramzi S. Cotran, a medical doctor and author of the textbook "Pathologic Basis of Disease," myxedematous endemic cretinism is a type of cretinism -- a condition involving severely stunted physical and mental growth -- associated with selenium deficiency. Common signs and symptoms associated with myxedematous endemic cretinism include a slowing of mental and physical activity, generalized fatigue, apathy, mental sluggishness, cold intolerance, constipation, decreased sweating and increased weight gain. Myxedematous endemic cretinism may also cause a broadening and coarsening of your facial features, enlargement of your tongue and deepening of your voice. Cotran states that the severity of mental impairment in cretinism is directly influenced by the time at which the deficiency occurs.
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