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Background: Although there are several factors which may contribute to oxidative stress at high altitude, little is known about the association between oxidative stress and aging in the community-dwelling elderly in the Tibetan Plateau., Methods: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and comprehensive geriatric functions were examined among 235 community-dwelling elderly subjects aged 60 years or more (146 Hans and 89 Tibetans). As a marker of ROS, the levels of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) were measured using the d-ROM test., Results: The rate of dependence of basic activities of daily living (basic ADL) among Tibetan elderly highlanders was significantly higher than that among Han elderly highlanders. The d-ROM level was higher among the Tibetan elderly than those among the Han elderly (Tibetan 465.6 +/- 97.9 Carr U, Han 415.3 +/- 72.0 Carr U, P = 0.003). The ROM level was higher among women than those among men. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that being Tibetan, female, and oxygen saturation were independent predictors of increasing d-ROM level (Tibetan beta, 0.241; female beta, 0.206; oxygen saturation beta, 0.218). The high levels of ROM (d-ROM >500 Carr U) were significantly associated with dependence of basic ADL after adjustment for age, sex and ethnicity (odds ratio = 2.51, P = 0.028)., Conclusion: The findings of this study imply the possibility that ROS is higher among Tibetan elderly highlanders than that of Han, which related to the geriatric items. Further studies are needed to show the impact of oxidative stress on the aging of highlanders.

In highland areas worldwide, socioeconomic globalization is progressing urbanization and environmental destruction. Urbanization is caused by socioeconomic globalization of development of transportation, movement or immigration of people, and prevailing market economy. Lifestyle-related diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, are increasing worldwide with greater longevity and changes in lifestyles. Highland areas may also be affected by globalization and the people living there may be especially vulnerable. Our objective was to disclose the features of lifestyle-related diseases and the human aging phenomena of highland people affected by their increasingly urbanized lifestyles by undertaking a detailed geriatric assessment. Our assessment included firstly comparing the prevalence of hypertension and neurobehavioral functions in community-dwelling Tibetan elderly in Shangri-la, Yunnan, China (altitude 3,300 m) with Thai elderly in the city of Jing Hong, Yunnan, China (altitude 500 m) and Japanese in Tosa, Kochi, Japan (altitude 300 m). Secondly, differences in the prevalence of hypertension, obesity, and neurobehavioral function were analyzed between people in an urban area, Jiang Tang, and rural areas and in association with their economic status in Nish in Shangri-la. High prevalences of lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension and obesity were shown in highlanders, especially those in an urban area. Geriatric functional ability was associated with economic status. Notwithstanding a higher prevalence of physical disorders and lowered functional abilities, a higher quantitative quality of life was found in Shangri-la than in Tosa. We concluded that highland-dwelling people were vulnerable and susceptible to lifestyle-related diseases resulting from socioeconomic globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]