Left Atrial Enlargement and Reduced Physical Function During Aging

Abstract

Diastolic dysfunction, often seen with increasing age, is associated with reduced exercise capacity and increased mortality. Mortality rates in older individuals are linked to the development of disability, which may be preceded by functional limitations. The goal of this study was to identify which echocardiographic measures of diastolic function correlate with physical function in older subjects. A total of 36 men and women from the Lou isiana Healthy Aging Study, age 62–101 yr, received a complete echocardiographic exam and performed the 10-item continuous-scale physical-functional performance test (CS-PFP-10). After adjustment for age and gender, left atrial volume index (ρ = −0.59; p = .0005) correlated with the total CS-PFP-10 score. Increased left atrial volume index may be a marker of impaired performance of activities of daily living in older individuals.

Role of Monocytes in Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation

“…Structural heart remodeling in aging and heart disease is associated with fibrosis. With aging, there is a progressive enlargement of the extracellular compartment in the atrial septum attributed to accumulation of connective tissue fibers . This process is even more prominent in an HF model, where larger areas of fibrosis were observed, similar to the “replacement fibrosis” observed after tissue damage and cell death.…”

Senescent cells: a therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease

“…The cardiac cycle changes, shifting from early to late diastolic filling and prolonging isovolemic relaxation time (57). Atria-dependent diastolic filling is enhanced by left atria enlargement and increased contractility (58,59). Systole is extended as a result of prolonged cardiomyocyte contraction, with a decrease in maximum heart rate driven by impaired SERCA2-dependent Ca 2+ reuptake (60)(61)(62), attenuated responsiveness to β-adrenergic signaling, and increased ω6/ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio in cardiomyocyte membranes (41).…”

Angiotensin II Mediates Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy in Atrial Cardiomyopathy via Epigenetic Transcriptional Regulation

“…Longterm maladaptive atrial hypertrophy results in enlarged atrial volume and impaired atrial mechanical function. Hypertension-induced atrial hypertrophy reduces the left atrial emptying fraction [49], with atrial hypertrophyinduced left atrial dilation also contributing to a loss of atrial mechanical function, which in turn leads to disability [54]. Thus, increased atrial volume may represent a marker of impaired atrial performance and daily activities in older individuals [54].…”