ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION As longevity increases throughout the world, disorders and diseases associated with aging assume increasing importance. In the USA, approximately 13% of the population is 65 years and older; this proportion is expected to reach nearly 20% by the year 2030, comprising over 70 million people (1). Furthermore, the fastest-growing age group, comprising those aged 85 years or older, has quadrupled since 1960 and will reach 19.5 million by 2030 (Fig. 1.1). Because both the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular (CV) disease increase dramatically with age, this “graying” of the population has created a huge number of elderly patients requiring treatment. It must be emphasized, however, that aging per se is not necessarily accompanied by CV disease. This chapter will set the stage for those that follow by delineating the changes in the CV system, which occur during the aging process in the absence of detectible CV disease. This is a challenging task, given the many factors that blur their separation. Nevertheless, it is important to define normal CV structure and
function in older adults to facilitate the accurate diagnosis of CV disease in this rapidly growing age group.
