Clinical significance of oxidative stress and inflammatory factors in the peripheral blood of elderly patients with diabetic ketoacidosis

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of oxidative stress and inflammatory factors in the peripheral blood of elderly patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. Methods: Forty-eight cases of elderly patients with diabetic ketoacidosis were allocated into the observation group. At the same time, 48 cases of ordinary elderly diabetic patients were allocated into the control group (with no ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar coma). The changes in oxidative stress and inflammatory factors between the two groups were observed, so as to analyze the clinical significance and relationship of above parameters with blood ketone body in elderly patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. Results: The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the peripheral blood of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.001), whereas the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the peripheral blood of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (both P<0.001). The level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the peripheral blood of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.001), whereas no significant difference was found in the expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interferon-γ (INF-γ) between the peripheral blood of the two groups (both P>0.05). The level of ketone body in the observation group was 2.89±1.05 mmol/L, which was positively correlated with the level of MDA (r=0.7317, P<0.05) and TNF-α (r=0.7342, P<0.05), but negatively correlated with the level of GSH-Px (r=-0.7053, P<0.05) and SOD (r=-0.6541, P<0.05). In addition, the level of ketone body in the observation group showed no correlation with the level of IL-10 and INF-γ (both P>0.05). The level of ketone body in the control group was 0.97±0.32 mmol/L, which was positively correlated with the level of MDA (r=0.7355, P<0.05) and TNF-α (r=0.5947, P<0.05), but negatively correlated with the level of GSH-Px (r=-0.4596, P<0.05) and SOD (r=-0.5773, P<0.05). In addition, the level of ketone body in the control group showed no correlation with the level of IL-10 and INF-γ (both P>0.05). Conclusion: Systemic oxidative stress and inflammation were present in elderly patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, which were correlated with the level of blood ketone bodies. Therefore, in addition to lowering the level of blood glucose, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress medications should be given in clinical applications. Such clinical practices are of great significance in the treatment of elderly patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.