The Demographics of Aging and Its Impact on the Cardiovascular Health
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ELDERLY + HEART DISEASE (J WEI, SECTION EDITOR)
The Demographics of Aging and Its Impact on the Cardiovascular Health Gohar Azhar & Jeanne Y. Wei
# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract In the next few decades, the progressive “graying” of America will accelerate. People 65+ are expected to grow to be approximately 80 million, or 21 %, of the US population by 2040. The 85+ group is the fastest-growing segment of the population, and it is estimated to increase from 6 million to over 14 million by 2040. This growth will result in a significant increase in the incidence and prevalence of ageassociated diseases, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, and heart failure. An appreciation of this demographic change is essential for those involved in the healthcare industry, including providers, health organizations, policy makers as well as patients. Keywords Aging . Demographics . Cardiovascular
Introduction “Aging” is sometimes a difficult scientific concept to explain when it varies so much in different organisms, species, and even within a species. The different terminologies employed such as “aging” and “longevity” are sometimes used interchangeably but have different connotations. Longevity refers to the average life span of a given species, whereas aging can
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Elderly + Heart Disease G. Azhar (*) : J. Y. Wei Reynolds Institute on Aging and Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA e-mail: [email protected]
be defined chronologically, physiologically, and functionally, all of which might modify the phenotype of an individual, but might not affect the lifespan. For instance, reductions in hearing, vision, or graying of hair and the appearance of skin wrinkles may correlate with an aging phenotype but not necessarily with lifespan. Longevity genes and other factors such as microRNAs might impact lifespan as well as age-related diseases [1, 2•, 3•, 4, 5]. Specific age-associated genes and their interactions with the environment (epigenetics) can also alter the aging process at the micro or macro levels. Chronologically, the process of aging starts at or even before birth and continues with the passage of time. At a cellular level, the aging process in somatic cells (e.g., fibroblasts or tissue cells) is called “senescence” when the cell undergoes growth arrest and expresses characteristic molecular, morphologic, and functional features of aging [6, 7]. Telomeres also play a significant role with an age-associated decline in their length, facilitating genomic instability and the accumulation of abnormal or cancerous cells [4, 8]. Physiologically, the process of aging starts in tissues that start experiencing cumulative damage to their cellular processes secondary to a variety of stressors and this eventually undermines the organ [9, 10]. Functionally, aging is experienced by an individual when he/ she has experienced significant decline in their physical abili
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