title: Clinical manifestations, diagnostic assessment, and etiology of heart failure in older adults.
abstract: Aging is characterized by heterogeneity, both in health and in dis-ease. Older adults who have heart failure (HF) often have a typical and delayed clinical manifestations and many have diastolic HF. The assessment and management of HF in older adults may be simplified by a 5-step process called DEFEAT HF: (1) Establish a clinical Diagnosis of HF; (2) Establish an Etiology for HF, preferably in collaboration with a cardiologist; (3) Determine Fluid status and achieve euvolemia; (4) Determine left ventricular Ejection frAction; and (5) Provide evidence-based Therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Geriatric Heart Failure Clinic, Center for Aging, and Center for Heart Failure Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 3rd Avenue South, CH19-219, Birmingham, AL 35294-2041, USA. aahmed@uab.edu
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmed
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology