The Impact of Age on Cardiovascular Health

As people get older, there is an increased risk of serious cardiovascular diseases. In ages 65+, the leading cause of death is cardiovascular health issues. These issues stem from inflammation that negatively affects cardiovascular health. With age, there are more inflammatory responses in the body which leads to a higher chance of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus,  atherosclerosis, heart failure, and stroke. 

Age and inflammation have both been identified as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. This can be brought together by an “inflamm-aging” concept. It is a state of low-grade, chronic inflammation that develops with age.  According to NCBI, inflamm-aging can be defined as an age-related increase in the levels of pro-inflammatory markers in blood and tissues.   Inflamm-aging interacts with obesity, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. It also promotes atherosclerosis, which is the thickening of arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the interior of the artery. Atherosclerosis is a prominent cause of cardiovascular disease. 

Inflamm-aging interacts with obesity, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

In obese patients, the high caloric intake is associated with a pro-inflammatory status. This leads to inflammation which in turn promotes inflamm-aging and causes CV problems. The pro-inflammatory status also furthers insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is another CV risk factor that is associated with age. In a proinflammatory environment, there is an infiltration of immune cells that are in insulin-responsive tissue, which is fat and muscles. This increases oxidative stress which decreases the insulin effect.

Hypertension is also affected by inflamm-aging. Hypertension is high blood pressure that is above normal. According to (Liberale et al. 2020) inflammatory mediators worsen issues, such as smooth muscle cell dysfunction, that accompany hypertension. These mediators of inflamm-aging can further the age-related progression of hypertension

All in all, age is linked to worse cardiovascular health due to inflammation that increases alongside age. There are different studies now identifying and targeting inflammation in order to mediate age-related cardiovascular issues. Certain antibodies, such as Canakinumab, have been studied in clinical trials. With this antibody, there was a statistical difference in non-fatal MI, non-fatal stroke, or CV death. An agent, Colchicine, was also tested and resulted in fewer cardiovascular issues. There was a statistical difference in death from cardiovascular reasons, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and stroke. Thus, therapeutic strategies that target inflammatory pathways are promising in reducing cardiovascular problems related to age.

Bibliography

1. Liberale, Luca, Fabrizio Montecucco, Jean-Claude Tardif, Peter Libby, and Giovanni G Camici. 2020. “Inflamm-Ageing: The Role of Inflammation in Age-Dependent Cardiovascular Disease.” European Heart Journal 41 (31): 2974–82. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz961.