[Echocardiographic indices of the middle-aged and elderly]

Echocardiographic parameters were examined in people between 50 and 79 years of age. They were shown to change with advancing age, the seventh decade of life being in this respect significantly different from the preceding and the following decades. This period is associated with moderate enlargement of the left-ventricular cavity and a reduction in myocardial contractility. Strong correlation has been demonstrated with systolic parameters, which may be an evidence that adequate operation of the heart at this age is mostly supported through systolic reserve.