The oxidative stress in the development of diabetes chronic complications in the elderly

The diabetes mellitus occurs as an important disease at elderly people, to whom the micro- and macrovascular complications represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Experimental researches of the last years proved that the oxidative stress may be the common mechanisms that intervenes in the occurrence of the diabetes complications as well as in the aging process and is responsible for the increased prevalence of chronic complications at elderly diabetics. Starting from this information, we performed a comparative study where we followed the intensity of the oxidative stress at elderly diabetics as compared to adult diabetics and non-diabetic elderly people. At the same time, we have followed the involvement of oxidative stress in the occurrence of diabetic microangiopathy and atherosclerosis. 155 patients from the 4th Medical Clinic were studied during 2000-2003. These patients were divided into three lots: lot 1: elderly diabetics, lot 2: adult diabetics, lot 3: elderly non-diabetics. At these patients we have followed comparatively the intensity of the oxidant status by determining the plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and the anti-oxidant status by determining the plasma ceruloplasmin, as well as the correlations of these two parameters with the chronic complications of diabetes. At elderly diabetics there is an increased oxidative stress underlined by an increased plasma level of MDA and ceruloplasmin as compared to the adult diabetics and non-diabetic elderly people and this increased oxidative stress is involved in the development of the chronic complications at this patients. In case of elderly diabetics, the age and the illness may induce the formation of oxygen-derived free radicals with synergic effect in injuring tissues and organs.