Abstract
Several environmental factors including hypoxia have been reported to contribute to oxidative stress in individuals living in the highlands. However, little is known about the role of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) among community-dwelling elderly in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The study population comprised 168 community-dwelling elderly subjects aged 60 years or older (male to female ratio, 70:98; mean age, 65.8 years) living in Haiyan County, located 3000 to 3200 m above sea level, 30 km northwest of Xining, Qinghai. The subjects were volunteers who joined a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment. Plasma ox-LDL was measured in 168 community-dwelling elderly subjects aged 60 years or older (23 Tibetans and 145 Hans) with a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mean ox-LDL level was higher among Tibetan elderly than Han elderly (Tibetan, 79.0 ± 29.6 U/L; Han, 62.8 ± 23.5 U/L; P = .003). Tibetan ethnicity was significantly associated with ox-LDL levels after adjusting for LDL cholesterol levels. In addition, high ox-LDL levels (≥70 U/L) were significantly associated with a homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index of at least 1.6 (odds ratio [OR], 2.82; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.11 to 7.15; P = .029) and ankle brachial pressure index of less than 1.0 (OR, 4.85; 95% CI, 1.14 to 10.00; P = .028), after adjusting for age, sex, and ethnicity. Our findings support the hypothesis that ox-LDL levels are higher among Tibetan elderly highlanders compared with those among Han elderly. As ox-LDL levels can affect insulin resistance and arteriosclerosis, further research is needed to determine how oxidative stress influences the health situation among elderly individuals at high altitudes.
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