Selenium: a protective factor for Kaschin-Beck disease in Qing-Tibet Plateau.

There is a close relationship between selenium deficiency and Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD). Although the etiology of KBD is not known and selenium deficiency is not its actual cause, it is an important environmental risk factor. In particular, in the Qing-Tibet Plateau, a selenium-deficient region, the prevalence of KBD is serious and still increasing and continues to damage public health.