Cardiomyopathy and heart failure in aging

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a condition associated with significant mortality and morbidity [1]. In the United States, HF affects approximately 5 million people and accounts for nearly 50,000 deaths each year [2]. There is evidence to indicate that both the prevalence and incidence of HF is increasing with projected further increases over the next decade [3, 4]. Indeed, heart failure is predominantly a disease of aging, with prevalence increasing from ≤ 1% in the population age ≤50 to 10% in persons over the age of 80 [5], and 80% of hospitalizations for HF occurs in patients over age 65 [6]. Aging in the heart is associated with significant alterations in cardiac structure and function, some of these changes may predispose an individual to the development of HF [6]. Aging effects decrease the functional reserve of the heart and loss of myocytes contributes to the attenuation of the response of the old heart to sudden changes in ventricular loading [7]. © Springer 2008.