Aging of the Cardiovascular System

Recent studies have shown that aging has a selective effect on specific aspects of cardiovascular function and on the response to pharmacologic agents. Basal contractile function is well maintained in both isolated cardiac muscle1 and intact hearts from senescent animals, 2 although the relaxation phase of contraction is prolonged.3 , 4 In human beings, echocardiographic indexes of systolic left ventricular function at rest are unchanged with age in either the presence or absence of beta-adrenergic blockade.5 , 6 Thus, it is not surprising that Port and his colleagues, in their study published in this issue, found no age-associated change in radionuclide measurements of left ventricular . . .