title: Determinants of oxidative stress related to gender: relevance of age and smoking habit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Magnitude and major causes of oxidative stress may be different between sexes, although limitedly addressed in clinical studies with controversial results. The present study aimed to determine whether any gender-related difference exists concerning oxidative stress in a population of 332 subjects of both sexes, in a wide age range, with and without cigarette smoking habit.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Oxidative-INDEX was calculated after evaluation of serum hydroperoxides (ROMs) and total antioxidant capacity (OXY) by means of commercial kits (d-ROMs and Oxy-adsorbent Tests, Diacron, Italy) subtracting the OXY standardized variable from the ROMs standardized variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Oxidative-INDEX resulted higher in women with respect to men (p<0.001), in smokers (p<0.01) than in non-smokers, and correlated with cigarette number (p<0.01), age (p<0.001), and post-menopausal status (p<0.001). The multivariate analysis identified age, high blood pressure, and smoking habit as factors independently associated with the Oxidative-INDEX in men, whereas cigarette smoking and age represented the independent risk factors for an elevated oxidative stress status in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender-based differences in oxidative stress levels may provide a biochemical basis for the epidemiologic differences in the disease susceptibility between sexes, and suggest different strategies for risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment specifically targeted to men and women.
authors.affiliation: Fondazione G. Monasterio CNR-Regione Toscana and Institute of Clinical Physiology-CNR, Pisa, Italy. cristina.vassalle@ifc.cnr.it
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vassalle
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Novembrino
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maffei
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sciarrino
authors.forename: Rachele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Giuseppe
authors.forename: Luisella
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vigna
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Liso
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mercuri
authors.forename: Fabrizia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bamonti
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology*