title: Gender-related differences in oxidative stress levels among elderly patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether gender-related differences exist concerning oxidative stress levels in aged patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical and research center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elderly subjects of both genders with or without CAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum hydroperoxides (HP) as index of oxidative stress levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HP levels were comparable in aged control subjects of both genders (376 +/- 20 arbitrary units [AU] in women, 333 +/- 19 AU in men) but significantly increased in CAD (456 +/- 15 AU) compared with all control subjects (357 +/- 14 AU). Moreover, among CAD patients, the HP levels were higher in women than in men (536 +/- 33 AU and 428 +/- 15 AU, respectively). Multivariate analysis, in which CAD represented the dependent variable, indicated that dyslipidemia was independently associated with CAD in men (odds ratio [OR] 5.8), whereas HP >50th percentile represented the only strong independent risk factor for CAD in elderly women (OR 8.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences in oxidative stress levels between elderly males and females might provide a biochemical basis for the epidemiologic differences in CAD, which might help to open new opportunities in the management of patients with cardiovascular disease from a gender point of view.
authors.affiliation: CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy. cristina.vassalle@ifc.cnr.it
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vassalle
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maffei
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boni
authors.forename: Gian Carlo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Zucchelli
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010545:Peroxides / Q000097:blood; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010545:Peroxides