Some of the things that can increase heart workload include:

• Certain medications
• Emotional stress
• Extreme physical exertion
• Illness
• Infections
• Injuries

COMMON PROBLEMS

• Angina (chest pain caused by temporarily reduced blood flow to the heart muscle), shortness of breath with exertion, and heart attack can result from coronary artery disease.
• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) of various types can occur.
• Anemia may occur, possibly related to malnutrition, chronic infections, blood loss from the gastrointestinal tract, or as a complication of other diseases or medications.
• Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is very common. Fatty plaque deposits inside the blood vessels cause them to narrow and can totally block blood vessels.
• Congestive heart failure is also very common in the elderly. In people older than 75, congestive heart failure occurs 10 times more often than in younger adults.
• Coronary artery disease is fairly common. It is often a result of arteriosclerosis.
• Heart and blood vessel diseases are fairly common in older people. Common disorders include high blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension.
• Heart valve diseases are fairly common. Aortic stenosis, or narrowing of the aortic valve, is the most common valve disease in the elderly.
• Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or strokes can occur if blood flow to the brain is disrupted.

Other problems with the heart and blood vessels include the following:

• Blood clots
  • Deep vein thrombosis
  • Thrombophlebitis
• Peripheral vascular disease, resulting in intermittent pain in the legs when walking (claudication)
• Varicose veins

PREVENTION

You can help your circulatory system (heart and blood vessels). Heart disease risk factors that you have some control over include high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, obesity, and smoking.

• Eat a heart-healthy diet with reduced amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol, and control your weight. Follow your health care provider's recommendations for treating high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. Minimize or stop smoking.
• Exercise may help prevent obesity, and it helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar.
• Exercise may help you maintain your abilities as much as possible and it reduces stress.
• Have regular check-ups for your heart:
  • Have your blood pressure checked every year. If you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or certain other conditions, your blood pressure may need to be monitored more closely.
  • If your cholesterol level is normal, heave it rechecked every 5 years. If you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or certain other conditions, your cholesterol may need to be monitored more closely.
• Moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep your heart, and the rest of your body, healthy. Consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program. Exercise moderately and within your capabilities, but do it regularly.
• People who exercise usually have less body fat and smoke less than people who do not exercise. They also tend to have fewer blood pressure problems and less heart disease.

RELATED TOPICS

• Aging changes in organs, tissues, and cells
• Aging changes in the lungs
• Aging changes in vital signs

Images

Normal heart anatomy (cut section)

Blood flow

Effects of age on blood pressure

Circulation of blood through the heart

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Review Date: 08/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)