The effect of ageing on cardiac remodelling and hospitalization for heart failure after an inaugural anterior myocardial infarction.
OBJECTIVE
Following myocardial infarction (MI), both age and left ventricular (LV) remodelling are associated with an increased risk of adverse events. We tested the hypothesis that the increased incidence of heart failure following MI in elderly patients is associated with a greater propensity for LV remodelling.


RESULTS
We monitored 266 patients with anterior MI. Echocardiographic studies were performed at hospital discharge, at 3 months, and at 1 year following hospitalization for MI. A clinical follow-up examination was performed after 3 years. Left ventricular remodelling was documented by an increase in LV end-diastolic volume after 1 year. Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes did not differ with age for all time points studied. Left ventricular remodelling was observed in 31, 26, 34, and 34% of patients <48, 48-57, 58-71, and >71 years of age, respectively. The 3 year heart-failure hospitalization rates were 1.9, 1.5, 11.0, and 20.3% for patients <48, 48-57, 58-71, and >71 years of age, respectively. Hospitalization for heart failure was more frequent in older patients.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that age was a major determinant of subsequent re-hospitalization for heart failure. However, we found no significant association between age and the LV remodelling process.
Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire de Lille, Lille, France.
Pierre V
PV
Ennezat
Nicolas
N
Lamblin
Frédéric
F
Mouquet
Olivier
O
Tricot
Philippe
P
Quandalle
Valérie
V
Aumégeat
Octave
O
Equine
Olivier
O
Nugue
Benoit
B
Segrestin
Pascal
P
de Groote
Christophe
C
Bauters
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*