Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.7
3.0
Journals
JCM
Special Issues
Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly: Prevention and Diagnosis
share announcement

Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly: Prevention and Diagnosis

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Cardiovascular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 1176

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ioana Dana Alexa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medical Specialties II, Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie Grigore T. Popa din Iasi, Iasi, Romania
Interests: palliative care; iatrogeny; cardiology; communication in geriatrics
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Ioan Prada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: older adults quality of life; elderly patients; geriatrics
Prof. Dr. Ciprian Rezus

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
Interests: cardiology; internal medicine; heart failure; atherosclerosis; arterial hypertension
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular diseases remain the most important cause of death in the elderly population. There is an increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in older people due to the addition of new risk factors, such as physiological changes in the cardiovascular system with aging, frailty and sarcopenic obesity; the impact of the unfavorable evolution of the concomitant chronic diseases; polypharmacy; and iatrogeny.

The elimination of cardiovascular risk factors has greater effects in the elderly than in other age groups.

The symptoms and clinical examination could be atypical compared to the classic ones, or they could be replaced by symptoms borrowed from other concomitant diseases (ulcer, pancreatitis, pleuritis, equivalents of dyspnea) or even be absent. This is why the diagnosis of the main cardiovascular problems in the elderly can easily be overlooked or overused.

Investigations that would provide a good starting point in the diagnosis of these conditions are ECG and Holter ECG monitoring, which allow us to record potential episodes of silent ischemia, as well as heart rate variability and echocardiography.

This Special Issue will provide new information on the prevention and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases in old people based on a combination of original research and review papers.

Topics of interest include the following:

  • New cardiovascular risk factors in elderly patients, such as frailty, the risk of falling, sarcopenic obesity, heart rate variability, and insulin resistance;
  • Diagnostic approaches in elderly patients with heart failure and type 2 diabetes;
  • Cardiovascular pathology and concomitant diseases in elderly patients and the importance of preserving good resilience and intrinsic capacity.

The complex management of elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases and multiple concomitant problems, as well as the importance of medication reconciliation.

Prof. Dr. Ioana Dana Alexa
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Ioan Prada
Prof. Dr. Ciprian Rezus
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cardiovascular risk factors
  • elderly patients
  • frailty, sarcopenia
  • heart rate variability
  • insulin resistance
  • physical resilience
  • intrinsic capacity
  • diastolic dysfunction

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 301 KiB  
Article
Heart Rate Variability: Marker of the Impact of Cardiovascular Disease on Intrinsic Capacity in Older Adults
by Ana-Maria Turcu, Adina Carmen Ilie, Sabinne-Marie Albișteanu, Gabriela Grigoraș, Iulia-Daniela Lungu, Ramona Ștefăniu, Anca Iuliana Pîslaru and Ioana Dana Alexa
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(9), 2981; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14092981 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 303
Abstract
Objective: This study investigates the association between heart rate variability parameters—particularly SDNN or SDANN—and components of intrinsic capacity in older adults, including functional, nutritional, cognitive, psycho-emotional domains, and frailty. Primary outcomes assess the relationship between SDNN and SDANN and frailty status and functional [...] Read more.
Objective: This study investigates the association between heart rate variability parameters—particularly SDNN or SDANN—and components of intrinsic capacity in older adults, including functional, nutritional, cognitive, psycho-emotional domains, and frailty. Primary outcomes assess the relationship between SDNN and SDANN and frailty status and functional performance (ADL/IADL scores, handgrip strength). Secondary outcomes assess the relationship between SDNN and SDANN and cognitive status (MMSE), nutritional status (MNA, BMI, total protein, hemoglobin, visceral fat), emotional well-being (GDS), and urinary incontinence. Methods: This prospective exploratory study included 83 patients over the age of 65, hospitalized between January and October 2024. All participants underwent cardiovascular evaluation and evaluation of intrinsic capacity (frailty status, ADL/IADL, handgrip strength, MMSE, MNA, GDS, urinary incontinence). Results: Patients were grouped by SDNN values (<128 ms vs. ≥128 ms). Those with lower SDNN had significantly lower MNA scores (p = 0.047), lower hemoglobin (ρ = 0.220, p = 0.046), and higher GDS scores (ρ = −0.219, p = 0.047), indicating poorer nutritional and emotional status. SDANN was negatively correlated with frailty scores (ρ = −0.269, p = 0.014) and positively correlated with ADL scores (ρ = 0.247, p = 0.024), suggesting better functional independence. Handgrip strength was significantly predicted by both SDNN (p = 0.002) and SDANN (p = 0.002) in univariable linear regression. Visceral fat levels were positively correlated with SDNN (ρ = 0.292, p = 0.007), though BMI was not. No significant associations were found between HRV parameters and MMSE scores or urinary incontinence. Conclusions: HRV parameters, particularly SDNN and SDANN, show modest but significant associations with intrinsic capacity components such as frailty, functional performance, nutritional status, and emotional well-being in older adults. These findings suggest that SDNN and SDANN may serve as non-invasive markers for the early identification of declines in intrinsic capacity. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to validate these preliminary results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly: Prevention and Diagnosis)
14 pages, 9828 KiB  
Article
Cardiotoxicity Associated with Venlafaxine—Defining Features in a Series of Five Cases and a Call for Proactive Monitoring
by Bujana Batusha Sopi, Keiko Yonekawa, Stefan Russmann, Jasminka Bernheim, Stefano Caselli, Christian Schmied, Helene Hammer, Anna Lam and Christine Attenhofer Jost
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(8), 2792; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14082792 - 18 Apr 2025
Viewed by 491
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Venlafaxine (VEN) is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressant. Arterial hypertension (HTN), heart failure (HF), and arrhythmias are side effects of VEN. Cardiotoxicity (CTOX) as a feature of VEN-associated side-effects has only rarely been described. Methods: We conducted a search [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Venlafaxine (VEN) is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressant. Arterial hypertension (HTN), heart failure (HF), and arrhythmias are side effects of VEN. Cardiotoxicity (CTOX) as a feature of VEN-associated side-effects has only rarely been described. Methods: We conducted a search of our database for cases of VEN-associated CTOX, analyzing symptoms, echocardiographic findings, and laboratory results. Results: We identified five patients (three females, two males) with VEN-associated CTOX, aged 51 to 87 years at presentation. VEN dose was 150 and 375 mg daily and treatment duration was 1.5 to 15 years. Presenting features were HTN in three, “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” in two, heart failure in three, and atrial fibrillation in three patients. Symptoms and signs of CTOX were reversible in all patients after discontinuation or dose reduction of VEN, suggesting a causal relationship between VEN and CTOX. Conclusions: VEN-associated CTOX can occur and progress to severe cardiomyopathy or heart failure. Potential risk factors include cardiac sympathetic stimulation, high VEN dosage, and prolonged treatment duration; however, CTOX may also occur at standard doses. Therefore, patients taking VEN should be routinely monitored for signs of cardiotoxicity, including monitoring of serum concentrations of VEN. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly: Prevention and Diagnosis)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop