PMID- 15531018
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20050505
LR  - 20041108
IS  - 0167-4943 (Print)
IS  - 0167-4943 (Linking)
VI  - 40
IP  - 1
DP  - 2005 Jan-Feb
TI  - Cardiovascular aging and psychometric performances: correlations in a group of 
      ultraseptagenarian elderly.
PG  - 1-5
AB  - Aging of the Italian population resulted in a net increase of the cardiovascular 
      pathologies, and the correlated disabilities. In addition, the cardiovascular 
      diseases represent actually in Italy the most frequent cause of death. With 
      advancing age, both the heart and the blood vessels undergo numerous 
      morphological and functional modifications, which are reducing the functional 
      reserves of these organs. The present study looked for correlation between the 
      cardiac functionality and the cognitive, as well as affective functions. 
      Furthermore, we evaluated the functional variations of the autonomy and 
      autosufficiency of the same patients. We had 171 enrolled subjects (108 women and 
      63 men), all above the age of 70 years. Based on the classification of the New 
      York Heart Association (NYHA), 85 of these patients (35 men and 50 women) had a 
      II class (Group A), and 86 of them (28 men and 58 women) a III NYHA class of 
      heart function (Group B). We included only patients who did not have any 
      cerebrovascular event yet, and were not bed-ridden. The psychometric performance 
      has been evaluated by using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), the 
      geriatric depression scale (GDS), the activities of daily living (ADL) and the 
      instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scales. Cardiac functions have 
      been measured by Doppler echocardiography, in M-mode. The Group A (of mean age 71 
      +/- 3 years) displayed ventricular ejection fraction (VEF) values in average of 
      43 +/- 4%, MMSE scores 27 +/- 2; GDS scores 14 +/- 3; IADL 6 +/- 1, and ADL = 6, 
      i.e., maintained a complete autosufficiency. The Group B (mean age 74 +/- 4 
      years) displayed VEF values in average of 26 +/- 3%, MMSE scores 23 +/- 4; GDS 
      scores 22 +/- 3; IADL 4 +/- 2, and ADL = 4 +/- 1, i.e., had a reduced 
      autosufficiency. These results confirm that also the heart pays a toll for aging: 
      the myocardial contractility becomes significantly altered, meaning the loss of 
      cardiac functions itself. These morpho-functional heart alterations are 
      accompanied by decreased psychometric performances during aging, with consequent 
      reductions of cognitivity, affectivity, autosufficiency and autonomy, involving a 
      complex decrease of the quality of life.
FAU - Maugeri, D
AU  - Maugeri D
AD  - Department of Senescent, Urological and Neurological Sciences, School of 
      Specialization in Geriatrics, Cannizzaro Hospital, University of Catania, Via 
      Messina, 829, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
FAU - Testai, M
AU  - Testai M
FAU - Santangelo, A
AU  - Santangelo A
FAU - Abbate, S
AU  - Abbate S
FAU - Bennati, E
AU  - Bennati E
FAU - Bonanno, M R
AU  - Bonanno MR
FAU - Lo Giudice, F
AU  - Lo Giudice F
FAU - Mamazza, C
AU  - Mamazza C
FAU - Panebianco, P
AU  - Panebianco P
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Arch Gerontol Geriatr
JT  - Archives of gerontology and geriatrics
JID - 8214379
SB  - IM
MH  - Activities of Daily Living
MH  - Affect/*physiology
MH  - Aged/*physiology/*psychology
MH  - Aging/*physiology
MH  - Cognition/*physiology
MH  - Female
MH  - Geriatric Assessment
MH  - Heart/*physiology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Personal Autonomy
MH  - Psychometrics
MH  - Self Efficacy
EDAT- 2004/11/09 09:00
MHDA- 2005/05/06 09:00
CRDT- 2004/11/09 09:00
PHST- 2003/12/08 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2004/04/27 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2004/05/13 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2004/11/09 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2005/05/06 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2004/11/09 09:00 [entrez]
AID - S0167494304001268 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.archger.2004.05.003 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2005 Jan-Feb;40(1):1-5. doi: 
      10.1016/j.archger.2004.05.003.