Age is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Heart disease and stroke
incidence rises steeply after age 65, accounting for more than 40 percent of all deaths
among people age 65 to 74 and almost 60 percent at age 85 and above. People age 65
and older are much more likely than younger people to suffer a heart attack, to have a
stroke, or to develop coronary heart disease and high blood pressure leading to heart
failure. Cardiovascular disease is also a major cause of disability, limiting the activity
and eroding the quality of life of millions of older people each year. The cost of these
diseases to the Nation is in the billions of dollars.
To understand why aging is so closely linked to cardiovascular disease, and ultimately
to understand the causes and develop cures for this group of diseases, it is essential to
understand what is happening in the heart and arteries during normal aging—aging
in the absence of disease. This understanding has moved forward dramatically in the
past 30 years. The purpose of this booklet is to tell the story of this progress, describe
some of the most important findings, and give a sense of what may lie ahead.
While we know a great deal about cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, new areas
of research are beginning to shed further light on the link between aging and the development
and course of the disease. For instance, scientists at the National Institute on
Aging (NIA) are paying special attention to certain age-related changes that occur in the
arteries and their influence on cardiac function.Many of these changes, once considered
a normal part of aging, may put people at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
This and other compelling research on the aging heart and blood vessels takes place at
many different research centers. A great deal of the work is being done by researchers
in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science at the NIA or by NIA-funded scientists at
other institutions. Others have worked at or been funded by the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute (NHLBI). NIA and NHLBI are two of 27 research institutes and
centers at the National Institutes of Health, and their work is complementary. NIA
research focuses on the effects of aging on the heart, blood vessels, and other parts of
the body, while NHLBI works to understand the diseases and risk factors that affect
the heart and blood vessels.
Both perspectives are bringing us closer to the possibility that heart disease and stroke
will someday be defeated. Research on the basic biology of the aging cardiovascular
system nurtures hope that we as a Nation need not accept the high rates of death and
disability and the enormous health care costs imposed by cardiovascular disease
among older people in our society.