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Cardiovascular aging and heart failure

Helen Oxenham1, Norman Sharpe

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Lauriston Place, Scotland, EH3 9QW, Edinburgh, UK. helen.oxenham@btopenworld.com

European Journal of Heart Failure
|August 19, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Aging significantly impacts the cardiovascular system, altering heart and artery function at rest and during exercise. These age-related changes can increase susceptibility to cardiac diseases in older adults.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular physiology
  • Gerontology
  • Exercise physiology

Background:

  • Aging is a primary driver of cardiovascular system alterations in older individuals.
  • Arterial stiffening affects cardiac afterload and left ventricular geometry.
  • While resting systolic function is preserved, diastolic function declines substantially with age.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review age-related changes in cardiovascular structure and function.
  • To describe alterations at rest and during exercise in older populations.
  • To highlight the consequences of these cardiovascular changes.

Main Methods:

  • This is a review article, synthesizing existing research.
  • It focuses on structural and functional cardiovascular changes in aging.
  • The review examines effects on both resting and exercise conditions.

Main Results:

  • Aging leads to arterial stiffening and altered left ventricular geometry.
  • Left ventricular diastolic function is significantly impaired in older adults.
  • Cardiovascular responses to exercise are substantially modified by aging.

Conclusions:

  • Age-related cardiovascular changes affect heart and vascular function.
  • These changes can lower the threshold for cardiac disease manifestation.
  • Exercise training or genetic modification can potentially mitigate some age-related cardiovascular declines.

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