title: Relationship between oxidative stress and cognitive impairment in the elderly of rural vs. urban communities.
abstract: Psychological stress and environmental pollution are frequently associated to urban environment and oxidative stress (OxS). Likewise, OxS is a risk factor for cognitive impairment (CI) in the elderly. Therefore, we hypothesized that the prevalence of CI in subjects of the urban area could be higher than in those of the rural area, and linked to higher OxS. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between OxS and CI in elderly individuals from rural and urban settings in Mexico. Plasmatic TBARS, plasma total antioxidant status, and the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured in 104 urban and 85 rural elderly individuals. Cognitive functions were evaluated through the Mini Mental State Examination. We found a greater proportion of subjects with OxS and CI in urban than in rural areas (25% vs. 9%), with an odds ratio of 5.67 (CI95% 1.14-38.02, p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that the elderly in urban areas have more OxS and a higher risk of developing CI compared with elderly individuals in a rural environment.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación en Gerontología, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Martha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Rodríguez
authors.forename: Edelmiro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santiago
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arronte-Rosales
authors.forename: Luis Alberto
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Vargas-Guadarrama
authors.forename: Víctor Manuel
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Mendoza-Núñez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants