Oxidative Stress in the Elderly with Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study

Hypertension is a major health problem, especially in the elderly, because it serves as a risk I factor for cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. The involvement of oxidative stress in hypertension I has been shown in animal studies. However, the data about oxidative stress in humans with I hypertension, especially in the elderly, are still limited. The aim of this study is to analyze oxidative stress by measuring carbonyl and superoxide I dismutase (SOD) in hypertensive elderly. It was a cross-sectional study conducted on 70 elderly I subjects, 35 subjects with hypertension and 35 subjects with normotension, in Jakarta, Indonesia. I Subjects were classified into the hypertensive group if their systolic blood pressure was > 130 I mmHg or their diastolic blood pressure was > 80 mmHg according to American guidelines. Plasma I carbonyl and SOD were measured using a spectrophotometer. Correlation analysis and I Independent T-test were used for statistical analysis. Carbonyl was significantly higher, while SOD I was significantly lower in hypertensive elderly compared to the control. There was a negative I correlation between SOD and systolic blood pressure, as well as a weak positive correlation I between carbonyl and mean arterial pressure. In conclusion, a significant increase of carbonyl and decrease of SOD were detected in I hypertensive elderly, reflecting oxidative stress.