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The elderly patient with cardiovascular disease
1Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, 69 Butler Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Insights
Cardiovascular diseases, particularly coronary heart disease, significantly impact elderly health, presenting unique challenges in diagnosis and treatment. This review highlights age-related differences in cardiovascular care for better patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cardiology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death and disability in older adults.
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertensive cardiovascular disease are most common in the elderly.
- Aging involves physiological changes that complicate CVD presentation and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review age-specific differences in the presentation, assessment, management, and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases in elderly patients.
- To address principles of cardiovascular drug therapy and preventive care tailored for older individuals.
- To identify interventions that improve morbidity, mortality, functional status, and quality of life in the aging population.
Main Methods:
- This is a review article, synthesizing existing literature on cardiovascular disease in the elderly.
- It compares and contrasts cardiovascular issues in older versus younger populations.
- Key aspects discussed include diagnostic procedures, therapeutic interventions, and preventive strategies.
Main Results:
- Elderly patients exhibit distinct patterns in cardiovascular disease presentation and response to treatment.
- Age-related physiological changes and comorbidities increase risks associated with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
- Adverse event rates are generally higher in older individuals compared to younger patients.
Conclusions:
- Managing cardiovascular disease in the elderly requires a nuanced approach that considers age-related physiological changes and comorbidities.
- Optimizing drug therapy and preventive care is crucial for improving outcomes in this demographic.
- Future efforts must focus on evidence-based interventions to enhance health and quality of life for the growing elderly population.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality at elderly age. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most prevalent problem, followed by hypertensive cardiovascular disease. In this review, the differences in presentation, assessment, management, and prognosis of the common cardiovascular problems in elderly patients compared with younger counterparts are discussed. Principles of cardiovascular drug therapy and issues of preventive care at elderly age also are addressed. Cardiovascular disease in elderly patients is complicated by its superimposition on the physiologic and structural cardiovascular changes of aging and by its frequent association with multiple other comorbid illnesses. Most diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are characterized by an excess of adverse responses compared with those in patients of younger age. The challenge in caring for the escalating elderly population in the twenty-first century will be to delineate those interventions that favorably affect morbidity and mortality, functional status, and quality of life attributes.