Age Related Changes in Cardiac Physiology as a Predictor of Exercise Tolerance

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Aging is associated with numerous changes and adaptations in the cardiovascular system. Vascular and ventricular wall thickness increase, whereas arterial compliance, endothelial function, and ventricular contractility decline. The decline in cardiac function with advancing age is typically seen in parallel to reduced physical activity, and it has been proposed that lifelong exercise training might attenuate the effects of aging on the heart. The cardiovascular system undergoes several age-related changes. For most healthy older individuals, the heart generally functions well under resting conditions. Structural and physiological changes tend to result in diminished exercise tolerance. However, increasingly it has been shown that even some of these changes are more a result of a sedentary lifestyle than an age-related phenomenon. Most elderly people tend to become less physically active. It is difficult to separate changes intrinsic to the aging process from those arising as a result of a sedentary lifestyle.

Detailed Description
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Previous large studies have concluded that resting LV diastolic and systolic function decline with age. The cardiovascular system undergoes several age-related changes. For most healthy older individuals, the heart generally functions well under resting conditions. Structural and physiological changes tend to result in diminished exercise tolerance. However, increasingly it has been shown that even some of these changes are more a result of a sedentary lifestyle than an age-related phenomenon. Most elderly people tend to become less physically active. It is difficult to separate changes intrinsic to the aging process from those arising as a result of a sedentary lifestyle. Studies of aging and physical activity usually compare older athletes with sedentary ones, in which physical activity was not found to attenuate the impact on the aging heart. Thus, the investigators set of to find the difference between hearts of elderly who are physically fit as measured with METS to those who are not. And try and understand the basis of this difference.

Official Title
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Age Related Changes in Cardiac Physiology as a Predictor of Exercise Tolerance

Conditions
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Aging, Exercise Tolerance

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Echo stress test


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: All patients above 65 with preserved systolic function and stress echo on a treadmill between 1 Jan 2012 until 31 Dec 2015 in the facility. Exclusion Criteria: Missing complete information used for data collection.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| 60's decade<br>60's decade Echo stress test | Other: Echo stress test<br>* Echo stress test<br>|
| 70's decade<br>70's decade Echo stress test | Other: Echo stress test<br>* Echo stress test<br>|
| 80's decade<br>80's decade Echo stress test | Other: Echo stress test<br>* Echo stress test<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardiac output at maximal stress test | mean cardiac output in liter per minute for each age group | 45 minutes | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Cardiac Physiology, Physiology