Gender-related differences in oxidative stress levels among elderly patients with coronary artery disease

Objective: To evaluate whether gender-related differences exist concerning oxidative stress levels in aged patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Design: Case-control. Setting: Clinical and research center. Patient(s): Elderly subjects of both genders with or without CAD. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Serum hydroperoxides (HP) as index of oxidative stress levels. Result(s): 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 AIJ). 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). Conclusion(s): 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.