Aging worldwide will result in an increasing number of patients older than expected a few decades ago, and with cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death worldwide (even above Cancer), many of the elderly patients will be affected by one of them.

The alterations of the cardiovascular system with normal aging and the different diseases that normally appear with age cause differences in the diagnosis and management of elderly patients.

In 2000, 12% of the U.S. population was over 65 years of age, and the forecast for the year 2030 is that it will increase to 20%; individuals over 85 years of age constitute 27% of this segment of the elderly population, i.e., we are getting older and therefore with us appear the diseases of each decade of life.

In the European Union, the percentage of people over 65 years of age is estimated to reach 27.5% in 2050.

Another major problem is that most of the studies conducted on vascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease have been done in younger people, generally under 70 years of age and without other associated pathological conditions. Hence the great dilemma in the management of these types of patients.

What we do know for sure is that leading a healthy life, exercising, controlling arterial hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, giving up smoking and alcohol, could modify the evolution of cardiovascular diseases.
Lifestyle changes, leading a healthy lifestyle, and controlling the risk factors mentioned above could eventually prevent a first major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke.

Our recommendations could be summarized as:

• Maintaining an ideal body weight
• Diet rich in fruits and foods free of saturated fats
• Exercise as a routine, at least 5 days a week.
• Control of concomitant diseases, if you have any of the following (diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol)
• Periodically visit your physician. Do not let consultations go to waste.
• Decrease stress.
• Abandon habits that can be harmful to our body, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, among others.

Dr. Licurgo Cruz

Cardiology