title: Cardiovascular aging and psychometric performances: correlations in a group of ultraseptagenarian elderly.
abstract: Aging of the Italian population resulted in a net increase of the cardiovascular pathologies, and the correlated disabilities. In addition, the cardiovascular diseases represent actually in Italy the most frequent cause of death. With advancing age, both the heart and the blood vessels undergo numerous morphological and functional modifications, which are reducing the functional reserves of these organs. The present study looked for correlation between the cardiac functionality and the cognitive, as well as affective functions. Furthermore, we evaluated the functional variations of the autonomy and autosufficiency of the same patients. We had 171 enrolled subjects (108 women and 63 men), all above the age of 70 years. Based on the classification of the New York Heart Association (NYHA), 85 of these patients (35 men and 50 women) had a II class (Group A), and 86 of them (28 men and 58 women) a III NYHA class of heart function (Group B). We included only patients who did not have any cerebrovascular event yet, and were not bed-ridden. The psychometric performance has been evaluated by using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), the geriatric depression scale (GDS), the activities of daily living (ADL) and the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scales. Cardiac functions have been measured by Doppler echocardiography, in M-mode. The Group A (of mean age 71 +/- 3 years) displayed ventricular ejection fraction (VEF) values in average of 43 +/- 4%, MMSE scores 27 +/- 2; GDS scores 14 +/- 3; IADL 6 +/- 1, and ADL = 6, i.e., maintained a complete autosufficiency. The Group B (mean age 74 +/- 4 years) displayed VEF values in average of 26 +/- 3%, MMSE scores 23 +/- 4; GDS scores 22 +/- 3; IADL 4 +/- 2, and ADL = 4 +/- 1, i.e., had a reduced autosufficiency. These results confirm that also the heart pays a toll for aging: the myocardial contractility becomes significantly altered, meaning the loss of cardiac functions itself. These morpho-functional heart alterations are accompanied by decreased psychometric performances during aging, with consequent reductions of cognitivity, affectivity, autosufficiency and autonomy, involving a complex decrease of the quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Senescent, Urological and Neurological Sciences, School of Specialization in Geriatrics, Cannizzaro Hospital, University of Catania, Via Messina, 829, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maugeri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Testaì
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santangelo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbate
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bennati
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bonanno
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lo Giudice
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mamazza
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Panebianco
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011594:Psychometrics; D020377:Self Efficacy