Emergent cardiovascular risk factors in the very elderly

Abstract

An appreciable amount of evidence generated in the recent decades has changed the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases dramatically. This advance has resulted in increased survival and, consequently, in a large new generation of very elderly individuals. In parallel, the aging of the population brought out a puzzle and a challenge for the next millennium. Despite the role of selective survival in attenuating the expression and impact of traditional risk factors, today’s elderly still has a gradual increase in unstable plaque formation and, by this way, the incidence of acute cardiovascular events. Recent studies have indicated aging-related emergence of new potential modulators of atherogenesis such as cellular senescence, immunosenescence, the syndrome of frailty, sarcopenia and sirtuins. This review will focus on the most recent and relevant evidence regarding the impact of these new players on atherogenicity in the elderly.

Keywords::

• aging
• atherogenesis
• risk factors
• very elderly

Financial & competing interest disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.