Cardiac aging phenomenon and its clinical features by echocardiography

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• The heart ages similarly to other organs, with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction being a key change.
• LV diastolic dysfunction is a significant risk factor for developing heart failure.
• Assessing cardiac aging is crucial for preventative cardiology and understanding age-related cardiac changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the assessment of cardiac aging using echocardiography.
• To explain the clinical relevance of echocardiographic findings in cardiac aging.
• To highlight echocardiography as a noninvasive tool for evaluating age-related cardiac changes.

Main Methods:

• Echocardiography is utilized for noninvasive assessment of cardiac structure and function.
• The review focuses on identifying and interpreting echocardiographic markers of LV diastolic dysfunction.
• Clinical and molecular factors influencing cardiac aging are discussed in relation to echocardiographic findings.

Main Results:

• Progressive LV diastolic dysfunction occurs with aging, even with minimal LV mass increase.
• Clinical factors like obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension accelerate cardiac aging.
• Molecular factors including reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial dysfunction are implicated in cardiac aging.

Conclusions:

• Echocardiography is essential for assessing cardiac aging and LV diastolic function.
• Early detection of age-related LV dysfunction can aid in preventing cardiac events and heart failure.
• Understanding cardiac aging through echocardiography provides valuable clinical insights.