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[The heart in the elderly. Pathology: macroscopic and light microscopy findings in the heart]

G Rahlf

    Zeitschrift Fur Kardiologie
    |January 1, 1985
    PubMed

    Insights

    Heart weight increases with age, and age-related heart abnormalities, or polypathy, linearly increase with each decade. These changes heighten the risk of heart failure in older adults.

    Area of Science:

    • Gerontology
    • Cardiology
    • Pathology

    Context:

    • Aging is associated with significant cardiovascular changes.
    • Understanding age-related cardiac morphology is crucial for geriatric care.
    • Senile atrophy is not a confirmed phenomenon in the aging heart.

    Purpose:

    • To investigate the relationship between aging and heart morphology.
    • To define and characterize "polypathy of the heart" in the elderly.
    • To assess the functional consequences of age-related cardiac abnormalities.

    Summary:

    • Average heart weight increases up to the ninth decade.
    • Morphological abnormalities, termed "polypathy of the heart," increase linearly with age.
    • Key abnormalities include coronary sclerosis, small vessel disease, hypertrophy, calcification, and amyloidosis.

    Impact:

    • Polypathy of the heart increases vulnerability to heart insufficiency (latent or manifest).
    • These findings have implications for the overall health of the aging organism.
    • Highlights the importance of managing multiple cardiac conditions in the elderly.

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