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Cardiovascular disease and the biology of aging
Shria Moturi1, Shohini K Ghosh-Choudhary1, Toren Finkel1
1Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine/UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, United States of America.
Insights
As people age, cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis and heart failure become more common. Understanding the biology of aging may lead to new therapies and make age a treatable cardiovascular risk factor.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Gerontology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease incidence and prevalence rise with age.
- Aging is linked to conditions like atherosclerosis, vascular stiffening, and heart failure.
- Existing research suggests a strong epidemiological connection between aging and cardiovascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanistic links between cardiovascular diseases and the biology of aging.
- To explore how aging processes contribute to the development of cardiovascular conditions.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets within the fundamental mechanisms of aging.
Main Methods:
- Exploration of mechanistic pathways connecting aging biology to cardiovascular disease.
- Review of existing epidemiological and molecular data.
- Analysis of the relationship between aging and specific cardiovascular conditions.
Main Results:
- Identified mechanistic links between aging and various cardiovascular diseases.
- Established that aging processes underlie susceptibility to conditions such as atherosclerosis and heart failure.
- Provided a foundation for developing novel therapeutics targeting aging mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Age-related biological processes are fundamental drivers of cardiovascular disease.
- Targeting aging mechanisms offers a promising therapeutic strategy for cardiovascular conditions.
- Chronological age may become a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor in the future.
Abstract:
The incidence and prevalence of a wide range of cardiovascular diseases increases as a function of age. This well-established epidemiological relationship suggests that chronological aging might contribute or increase susceptibility to varied conditions such as atherosclerosis, vascular stiffening or heart failure. Here, we explore the mechanistic links that connect both rare and common cardiovascular conditions to the basic biology of aging. These links provide a rational basis to begin to develop a new set of therapeutics targeting the fundamental mechanisms underlying the aging process and suggest that in the near future, age itself might become a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor.
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