title: Heart failure in the "oldest old": clinical and echocardiographic insights.
abstract: While the incidence and prevalence of heart failure (HF) increase markedly with age, few studies have included data on a large series of patients aged 85 years and older. Clinical and echocardiographic data from 533 patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital for acute HF were obtained. Data from the oldest old (>or=85 years; n=252; mean age, 91.9+/-3.6 years) were compared with data from those aged 65 to 74 years (n=123; mean age, 70.1+/-2.8 years) and 75 to 84 years (n=158; mean age, 79.4+/-2.9 years). Echocardiographic data were consistent with hypertensive remodeling. The proportion of patients with HF and a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction was greatest in the oldest patients (61%) in comparison to patients aged 65 to 74 years (48%) and 75 to 84 years (48%). Approximately three-fourths of the oldest patients were women, and two-thirds of women had a left ventricular ejection fraction >or=50%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: Gerard P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Aurigemma
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.forename: Craig S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Vinch
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ennis
authors.forename: Dennis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tighe
authors.forename: Theo E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014463:Ultrasonography