Heart Problems Every Senior Should Know About

At some point during late middle age, most people find out that certain age-related changes are inevitable. Collagen depletion leads to wrinkles; the thickening of the eye’s inner lens causes age-related farsightedness; hair follicles lose their pigments and turn gray; physical strength diminishes as muscle mass declines.  

Such changes are normal, even among the healthiest of aging adults.     

As a board-certified internist who offers a full scope of cardiovascular health services at Socrates A. Garrigos, MD, PA, Dr. Garrigos discusses one of the most important aspects of aging: how it affects your heart. 

Cardiovascular disease, by the numbers

Heart disease claims nearly 700,000 lives every year in the US. It’s the leading cause of mortality among men and women, as well as across most racial demographics.  

This statistic means heart disease is responsible for one in five (20%) American deaths annually, and the majority of these deaths occur in older adults. 

It may be disconcerting that an American dies of heart disease every 33 seconds, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Your heart and blood vessels are affected by the aging process, but these changes aren’t enough to cause heart disease. 

Instead, it’s the various modifiable lifestyle factors that have the power to either slow these changes and protect against heart disease, or accelerate and compound them, setting the stage for heart disease. 

How your heart changes as you get older

A healthy aging heart continues to pump enough blood to supply all parts of the body, however, an older heart often can’t pump blood as efficiently when it’s stressed or works harder, such as during moderate to intense physical activity. 

Why? Aging can cause changes in your heart and blood vessels. For most aging adults, normal cardiovascular changes include:

• Slightly lower resting heart rate 
• Thicker, stiffer heart valves 
• Thickening of the heart walls 
• Stiffening of the larger arteries
• Thickening of the capillaries

Most healthy older adults also experience a moderate increase in blood pressure due to age-related cardiovascular changes. A healthy older adult likely has a slightly different “normal” EKG reading (heart rhythm) than a healthy younger adult.  

Heart problems to be aware of as you age

Adults aged 65 and older are much more likely to develop heart disease. If you’re an older adult, it’s important to be aware of the kinds of cardiovascular problems you can develop at a higher risk as the years go by, including:

Coronary artery disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common form of heart disease in the US. CAD occurs when plaque accumulates in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart, causing the vessels to become partially or fully blocked. 

 For many people, a heart attack is the first warning sign of CAD even though it can cause shortness of breath with light activity as well as stable angina, or chest pains during physical activity or emotional stress. 

Known as a “silent killer,” CAD causes more than half of cardiovascular-related deaths each year, and about four in five of these deaths (80%) are in older adults.  

Congestive heart failure

The leading cause of hospitalization in older adults is congestive heart failure, a condition that occurs when your heart no longer pumps enough blood to meet your body’s basic demands. 

Common symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, and edema (fluid retention in the ankles, legs, and abdomen). Heart failure increases your risk of liver and kidney damage as well as sudden cardiac arrest. 

Atrial fibrillation (AFib)

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, is an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) in the heart’s upper chambers (atria) that causes them to beat chaotically and out of sync with the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. Besides causing heart palpitations, fatigue, and shortness of breath, AFib increases your risk of stroke fivefold.    

Researchers have dubbed AFib as the “new cardiovascular disease epidemic of the 21st century,” and older age is its top risk factor. Worldwide, over 33 million people aged 55 and older have been diagnosed with AFib; in the US, AFib-related deaths increase every year. 

You can benefit from heart-healthy living 

Keeping your heart healthy in older age begins with understanding your personal heart disease risk: Nearly half of Americans (47%) have at least one of the three major heart disease risk factors — hypertension, high cholesterol, and smoking. 

Luckily, there are steps you can take to keep your heart healthy as you grow older; in fact, you can benefit from heart-healthy living — including regular exercise, wholesome eating patterns, weight control, chronic disease management, and smoking cessation — at any age.

It’s never too soon — or too late — for a cardiovascular checkup, and we’re here to help. Call or click online to schedule a visit at Socrates A. Garrigos, MD, PA, in McAllen, Texas, today.