Exercise training improves cardiovascular performance, physical function, and quality of life in healthy elderly individuals and those with heart failure or frailty.
Does exercise training improve cardiovascular performance and physical function in elderly individuals with and without cardiovascular disease?
This review highlights the broad beneficial effects of tailored aerobic and resistance exercise programs on mitigating age-related cardiovascular decline and improving outcomes in elderly patients with heart failure or frailty.
Progressive aging induces several structural and functional alterations in the cardiovascular system, among whom particularly important are a reduced number of myocardial cells and increased interstitial collagen fibers, which result in impaired left ventricular diastolic function. Even in the absence of cardiovascular disease, aging is strongly associated to a age-related reduced maximal aerobic capacity. This is due to a variety of physiological changes both at central and at peripheral level. Physical activity (PA) appears in general to have a positive effect on several health outcomes in the elderly. This review aims to illustrate the beneficial effects of exercise on the physiologic decline of cardiovascular performance occurring with age. Furthermore, it will be stressed also the positive effect of physical activity in elderly patients affected by cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure and hypertension, and multiple comorbidities which may significantly worse prognosis in this high risk population.
Vigorito et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Cardiovascular aging and heart failure. Exercise training was evaluated. Exercise training improves cardiovascular performance, physical function, and quality of life in healthy elderly individuals and those with heart failure or frailty.