Age and the Cardiovascular System

DESPITE the decline in rates of mortality due to heart disease during the past two decades, cardiovascular disease remains the most frequent single cause of death among persons over 65 years of age.1 2 3 It also accounts for a major and growing proportion of hospitalizations and health care costs and is a leading cause of morbidity among older people.2 , 3 In this review, I shall consider age-associated changes that may influence the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in older patients and aspects of evaluation and management that are different for older patients than for younger adults.Morphologic ChangesThe MyocardiumMany . . .