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Arterial-ventricular coupling with aging and disease
Paul D Chantler1, Edward G Lakatta
1Division of Exercise Physiology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University Morgantown, WV, USA.
Frontiers in Physiology
|May 16, 2012
Summary
Aging impacts cardiovascular health by altering arterial-ventricular coupling (E(A)/E(LV)). While resting coupling is maintained, exercise capacity declines with age due to blunted ventricular responses, affecting cardiovascular function and disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Gerontology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Age is the primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
- Arterial-ventricular coupling (E(A)/E(LV)) is crucial for understanding cardiovascular function, especially with aging and disease.
- Effective arterial elastance (E(A)) and left ventricular end-systolic elastance (E(LV)) are key components of this coupling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanistic insights into cardiovascular changes with aging and disease through arterial-ventricular coupling.
- To analyze how arterial-ventricular coupling (E(A)/E(LV)) is altered at rest and during exercise in aging and disease states.
- To understand the implications of these alterations on cardiovascular function and therapeutic interventions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of age-associated alterations in arterial structure and function (e.g., stiffness, diameter).
- Assessment of changes in left ventricular remodeling and function with age.
- Evaluation of arterial-ventricular coupling (E(A)/E(LV)) at rest and during dynamic exercise in aging and disease cohorts.
Main Results:
- Resting E(A) and E(LV) increase with age, maintaining optimal energetic efficiency at the expense of mechanical efficacy.
- This resting coupling is preserved in conditions like hypertension and obesity, despite further increases in E(A) and E(LV).
- During exercise, aging blunts the reduction in E(A)/E(LV) due to a diminished increase in E(LV), amplifying impairments seen in heart failure.
Conclusions:
- Age-related changes in arterial and ventricular properties maintain resting arterial-ventricular coupling but impair dynamic exercise responses.
- Impaired arterial-ventricular coupling with aging and disease contributes to reduced cardiovascular functional capacity.
- Understanding these interactions is vital for developing effective therapeutic strategies for age-related cardiovascular conditions.
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