Objective: 

The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress (OS) level in healthy subjects and in chronic disease patients.

Methods: 

In 70 healthy subjects (38 [male] and 32 [female]) and in 115 chronic disease patients (75 [male] and 40 [female]), 85 related with chronic renal failure and 30 with diabetes mellitus, OS was examined by using the fluorimetric method for lipid peroxidation (within its end product malonyldialdehyde). The values were expressed in mmol/L. Healthy subjects were divided concerning different age, sex and hygienic-dietetic issues (lipid profile, smoking habits, living conditions: city-village). Patients were divided concerning age, sex, chronic disease duration, using different substitution therapies as hemodialysis, iron, erytropoeitin, L-carnitine.

Results: 

Regarding the age of both healthy subjects and patients, older ones showed higher OS: for healthy subjects 3.94±0.8 (p<0.05); and for patients 4.99±0.7 (p<0.01). OS in different sex groups did not show statistical difference neither in healthy subjects nor in patients. Impaired lipid profile in healthy subjects showed higher OS 4.24±0.4 (p<0.05) as well as the ones with smoking habits, 4.3±0.3 (p<0.01). No statistical differences were found concerning living conditions. The longer chronic disease, hemodialysis duration and iron supplementation increased OS level (p<0.05). Erytropoeitin supplementation showed decreased OS level to 4.2±0.9 and so did L-carnitine supplementation, 4.1±0.4 (p<0.05).

Conclusions: 

Higher OS was found in healthy older people with impaired lipids who smoke and in a patients with longer chronic duration who were more exposed to hemodialysis and iron therapy. On the contrary, erytropoieitin and L-carnitine therapies showed beneficial effects towards OS.