Pablo Díez-Villanueva, César Jiménez-Méndez, Héctor García Pardo, José Antonio Alarcón, Raquel Campuzano
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. Coronary artery disease, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease constitute the prevailing conditions. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) represents a cornerstone in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, since it has been associated with significant cardiovascular benefits in the above-mentioned conditions, by significantly reducing cardiovascular outcomes and improving functional independence and quality of life. Besides, CR offers the background for optimizing the control of cardiovascular risk factors and implementing physical exercise, also providing psychological and social support.
Summary: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease increases with age, associating high morbidity and mortality. In addition, comorbidities, frailty, and other geriatric conditions, entities that also entail poor prognosis, are often present in elderly patients. Indeed, frailty is recommended to be systematically addressed in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease, and there is growing evidence regarding the benefits of CR programs in this setting, also associated with lower adverse events during follow-up. However, elderly patients are less often referred to CR after a cardiovascular event when compared to their younger counterparts. In this review, we summarized the benefits of CR programs in the elderly population with established cardiovascular disease, proposing a comprehensive framework that integrates personalized care strategies.
Key messages: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbimortality, especially in the elderly. The management of cardiovascular disease in elderly patients poses unique challenges, since they represent a heterogeneous group and evidence is low. CR can provide significant benefits in older patients, encompassing physical training and specific management of geriatric syndromes.
期刊介绍:
''Cardiology'' features first reports on original clinical, preclinical and fundamental research as well as ''Novel Insights from Clinical Experience'' and topical comprehensive reviews in selected areas of cardiovascular disease. ''Editorial Comments'' provide a critical but positive evaluation of a recent article. Papers not only describe but offer critical appraisals of new developments in non-invasive and invasive diagnostic methods and in pharmacologic, nutritional and mechanical/surgical therapies. Readers are thus kept informed of current strategies in the prevention, recognition and treatment of heart disease. Special sections in a variety of subspecialty areas reinforce the journal''s value as a complete record of recent progress for all cardiologists, internists, cardiac surgeons, clinical physiologists, pharmacologists and professionals in other areas of medicine interested in current activity in cardiovascular diseases.