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The aging hypertensive heart: a brief update

Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine volume 5, pages 104–110 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Hypertension and aging are major independent risk factors for cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality. Although independent, these two entities are closely related and operate simultaneously to adversely affect the cardiovascular system. In many aspects the morphologic and functional changes that occur in the cardiovascular system with aging and hypertension are similar; both include left ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis and dysfunction. In this report we briefly summarize the primary pathophysiology of cardiovascular aging and hypertension and describe the clinical and therapeutic impact that hypertension and aging combined have on the cardiovascular system.

Key Points

  • Hypertension and aging are major independent risk factors for cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality

  • Ventricular enlargement, fibrosis and dysfunction, as well as coronary insufficiency, are features of both hypertension and aging, although it is probable that distinct pathophysiological mechanisms are involved in each process

  • The common clinical manifestations of age-related cardiovascular dysfunctions are hypertension (often only isolated systolic hypertension), coronary vascular insufficiency, left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure of varying degrees

  • A great proportion of elderly patients with heart dysfunction and failure have diastolic dysfunction in a setting of normal or nearly normal ejection fraction

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. D Susic is Staff Scientist and ED Frohlich is the Alton Ochsner Distinguished Scientist at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA, USA.,

    Dinko Susic & Edward D Frohlich

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  1. Dinko Susic
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  2. Edward D Frohlich
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Correspondence to Dinko Susic.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Susic, D., Frohlich, E. The aging hypertensive heart: a brief update. Nat Rev Cardiol 5, 104–110 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpcardio1091

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