Epidemiology On Cardiovascular Disease In The Elderly

Epidemiology On Cardiovascular Disease In The Elderly :

     Cardiovascular diseases such as ischemia, myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease are primarily influenced by social habits, lifestyles and environmental factors. Eastern countries such as Japan are considered to be low-risk regions while Western and European countries are high-risk zones. Ischemia and myocardial infarction are the leading cause of cardiovascular deaths in developed nations. Even professionals, who migrate from a low-risk country to a high-risk country, show an increased risk of getting a myocardial infarction. Even congenital factors have a profound influence over the prevalence of coronary heart diseases.

     There are various kinds of cardiovascular diseases that differ in the epidemiology with relation to age. Aneurysms commonly occur in the abdominal aorta, thoracic aorta, popliteal vessels and iliac vessels. Aneurysmal diseases are quite prevalent among men. Occurrence of these diseases increases with age. Atrial fibrillation is quite common among individual having congestive heart failure. Usually, 2-4 percent of people who are above 60 years of age and more than 11 percent of people who are above 75 years get afflicted with this condition. Ventricular tachycardia is a common occurrence in 80 percent of elderly people who are healthy.

      Approximately, 70 percent of elderly people, who die at the age of 80, have silent coronary atherosclerosis.

      Research has shown that more than 75 percent of patients in the U.S. with heart failure are aged between 65-80 years. Risk of heart failure tends to increase with age and is more common in elderly people suffering with diabetes. Another major cardiovascular disease prevalent among elders is hypertension. Around 65 percent of people aged above 60 years have hypertension. This condition is primarily visible in the residents of Europe and US.