State-of-the-Art Age-Related Heart Diseases

A special issue of Clinics and Practice (ISSN 2039-7283).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2024) | Viewed by 2484

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the new developments in medicine and the modern approach to a new lifestyle, longevity has increased in the general population. Even the perception of an "old person" has changed, as more and more people over 75 years are active and care for themselves.

As people get older new changes occur in the cardiovascular system, starting from the microvascular level and progressing into a clinical pathology with several symptoms. Patients over 65 years pose new challenges for the treating physician and need specific management since they can present associated non-cardiovascular diseases which can favor the development of new or worsen pre-existing cardiac pathologies. This can alter the quality of life of an individual.

Older patients are more likely to benefit from mini-invasive new cardiovascular procedures or imaging techniques since they are more fragile and sometimes more difficult to manage during a prolonged investigation or cardiac intervention.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original research papers, reviews, and commentaries focused on new approaches to older patients with heart disease and new treatment options for the elderly.

Dr. Cristina Tudoran
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 514 KiB  
Article
Arrhythmias among Older Adults Receiving Comprehensive Geriatric Care: Prevalence and Associated Factors
by Marco Meyer, Andreas Arnold, Thomas Stein, Ulrich Niemöller, Christian Tanislav and Damir Erkapic
Clin. Pract. 2024, 14(1), 132-147; https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract14010011 - 4 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular diseases and arrhythmias are medical conditions that increase with age and are associated with significant morbidities and mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of arrhythmias and clinical associations in the collective of older adults receiving [...] Read more.
Background: Cardiovascular diseases and arrhythmias are medical conditions that increase with age and are associated with significant morbidities and mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of arrhythmias and clinical associations in the collective of older adults receiving comprehensive geriatric care (CGC). Methods: Holter ECG monitoring (HECG) of older patients hospitalized for CGC was analyzed. The prevalence of arrhythmias and the associations between the presence of arrhythmias, patients’ characteristics and the functional status regarding basic activities of daily living (assessed by the Barthel index (BI)), walking ability (assessed by the timed up and go test (TUG)), and balance and gait (assessed by the Tinetti balance and gait test (TBGT)) were examined. Results: In the presented study, 626 patients were included (mean age: 83.9 ± 6.6 years, 67.7% were female). The most common arrhythmias detected in HECG were premature ventricular contractions (87.2%), premature atrial contractions (71.7%), and atrial fibrillation (22.7%). Atrial flutter was found in 1.0%, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in 5.8%, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia in 12.5%, first-degree AV block in 0.8%, second-degree AV block type Mobitz I in 0.8%, second-degree AV block type Mobitz II in 0.3%, pause > 2.5 s any cause in 3.5%, and pause > 3 s any cause in 1.6% of the cases. Premature atrial contractions were associated with the female sex (74.8% vs. 65.3%, p = 0.018), whereas in male patients, the following arrhythmias were more common: premature ventricular contractions (91.6% vs. 85.1%, p = 0.029), ventricular bigeminus (8.4% vs. 3.8%, p = 0.021), and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (17.3% vs. 10.1%, p = 0.014). Atrial fibrillation detected in HECG was more frequent in patients at high risk of falls, indicated by their TBGT score ≤ 18 (24.7% vs. 12.0%, p = 0.006), and premature ventricular contractions were more common in patients unable to walk (TUG score 5) compared to those with largely independent mobility (TUG score 1 or 2) (88.0% vs. 75.0%, p = 0.023). In a logistic regression analysis, atrial fibrillation detected in HECG was identified as a risk factor for a high risk of falls (odds ratio (OR): 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23–4.46). Conclusion: In our study, investigation of HECG of older adults hospitalized for CGC revealed that premature atrial contractions, premature ventricular contractions, and atrial fibrillation were the most common arrhythmias. Premature atrial contractions were found to be more frequent in female patients, while male patients were more prone to premature ventricular contractions. In the investigated population, atrial fibrillation emerged as a risk factor associated with a high risk of falls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Age-Related Heart Diseases)
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