Management and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly

Title:Management and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly

Volume: 15 Issue: 1

Author(s): Leonardo Bencivenga, Fabrizio V. Grieco, Grazia D. Femminella, Claudio de Lucia, Klara Komici, Carlo Rengo, Nicola Ferrara and Giuseppe Rengo*

Affiliation:

• Division of Geriatrics, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Sergio Pansini, 5 -80131 Naples,Italy

Keywords: Elderly, cardiovascular diseases, therapy, frailty, heart failure, hypertension, atrial fibrillation.

Abstract: Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality and hospitalizations especially in elderly patients, whose therapeutic management is particularly challenging due to the lack of specific recommendations, particularly in old patients with multiple comorbidities and disability. The ageing process is highly heterogeneous with several possible phenotypes ranging from healthy ageing to frailty. While in healthy old individuals, cardiovascular diseases can be treated following suggestions derived from international guidelines, treatment of pre-frail and frail elderly patients is extremely complicated and very frequently recommended standard treatments in these patients cannot be applied.

Objective: In the present review, we will discuss the management and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the elderly.

Methods: This review was based on searches of the PubMed database using the following terms: “elderly”, “aging”, “frailty”, “heart failure”, “hypertension”, “atrial fibrillation”, “stroke prevention”, “guidelines”, “therapy”, “management”.

Results: we have summarized the current therapies for elderly patients with cardiovascular disease, focusing our attention on heart failure, hypertension and atrial fibrillation that are very common and often coexisting diseases in the elderly.

Conclusion: new studies involving frail elderly patients are needed in order to provide evidence-based treatment strategies and to allow more personalized medical approaches.

Cite this article as:

Bencivenga Leonardo, Grieco V. Fabrizio , Femminella D. Grazia , de Lucia Claudio, Komici Klara, Rengo Carlo , Ferrara Nicola and Rengo Giuseppe*, Management and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly, Current Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine 2017; 15 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1875692115666170508152820

DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1875692115666170508152820	Print ISSN 1875-6921
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher	Online ISSN 1875-6913