Effects of aging on the heart and blood vessels

[Tina]

As people age, the heart tends to enlarge slightly, developing thicker walls and slightly larger chambers. The increase in size is mainly due to an increase in the size of individual heart muscle cells. The age-related stiffening of the heart walls causes the left ventricle to not fill as well and can sometimes lead to heart failure (called diastolic heart failure or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction), especially in older people with other diseases such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
During rest, the older heart functions in almost the same way as a younger heart, except the heart rate (number of times the heart beats within a minute) is slightly lower. Also, during exercise, older people