Cardiac Care for Older Adults

Abstract

Recent decades have witnessed striking growth in the number of older adults both in the United States and throughout much of the world, largely due to improved public health, nutrition, and medical care.Between 2000 and 2030, the proportion of the world's population age 65 years and older is expected to increase from 6.9% to 12% (1).In the United States, the "old age" demographic is accelerating even more rapidly (estimated to increase from 12.9% to 20% between 2000 and 2030) as baby boomers enter their senior years (2).Furthermore, by 2050, the subgroup of U.S. seniors age 85 years and older is expected to triple.Ironically, aging also catalyzes fundamental changes that increase susceptibility to cardiovascular disease (CVD) such that CVD is endemic in the burgeoning senior population (3).Already, the prototypical U.S. cardiology patient is an older adult, and management of cardiac issues is fundamentally linked to the frailties and multimorbidities associated with advanced age.