title: [Congestive heart failure in the elderly: specific aspects].
abstract: Heart failure is becoming the most prevalent cardiovascular disorder in the older population, in part as a consequence of the declining fatality rate of hypertension, myocardial infarction and ictus, resulting in progressive increment of older subjects at increased risk of developing heart failure. In this review the principal aspects of congestive heart failure in the elderly are described, underlining the necessity of distinguish the "normal" ageing process from the many noxae that cause this disease. Moreover a discussion is given about the peculiarity of the physiopathology and symptomatology of heart failure in the aged patients, with particular emphasis to the diastolic ventricular dysfunction that is very frequent in these patients, posing complex problems of diagnosis and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Ospedale San Filippo Neri, Roma.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003971:Diastole; D004077:Digoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D013599:Systole; D018754:Ventricular Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004232:Diuretics; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D004077:Digoxin; D001241:Aspirin