Effects of aging on left ventricular structure and function.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional comparative physiological study between two age cohorts.
PubMed 1825740 · doi:10.1016/0002-8703(91)90201-r
What was done
Doppler and M-mode echocardiography was performed on 23 young (mean age 25 years) and 30 elderly (mean age 70 years) healthy, normotensive participants. Investigators measured left ventricular (LV) dimensions, wall thickness, LV mass index, Doppler-derived stroke volume, and pulsed Doppler mitral inflow patterns of diastolic filling.
What was found
Elderly subjects had significantly greater posterior wall thickness (1.0 vs 0.8 cm, p < 0.05) and relative wall thickness (0.42 vs 0.35, p < 0.05) compared to younger subjects. LV mass index did not differ significantly between groups (89 vs 77 gm/m2), though it rose on average 0.25 gm/m2/year. Shortening fraction and stroke volume did not differ. Diastolic filling was altered in the elderly, who showed a doubling of percent atrial contribution (37% vs 19%, p < 0.0001) and a roughly halved peak early-to-peak atrial velocity ratio (0.85 vs 1.77, p < 0.01).
Why it matters
This study documents that normal human aging causes concentric left ventricular remodeling and a marked shift toward late atrial diastolic filling, even in healthy individuals without hypertension or systolic dysfunction.
Limits
The study is cross-sectional with a modest total sample size (n = 53) and lacks longitudinal follow-up. It only examined healthy normotensive individuals, so findings cannot be generalized to elderly patients with cardiovascular disease.
Cited by
- context As humans age, the heart shrinks and myocardial tissue becomes stiffer.