A 30-year longitudinal study that follows untreated individuals with no known cardiovascular disease from age 50 to 80 is performed to investigate normal age-related cardiovascular changes. Several parameters are measured annually. Patients age 80 are most likely to show which of the following changes compared to when they were age 50?

Question

A 30-year longitudinal study that follows untreated individuals with no known cardiovascular disease from age 50 to 80 is performed to investigate normal age-related cardiovascular changes. Several parameters are measured annually. Patients age 80 are most likely to show which of the following changes compared to when they were age 50?
A 30-year longitudinal study that follows untreated individuals with no known cardiovascular disease from age 50 to 80 is performed to investigate normal age-related cardiovascular changes. Several parameters are measured annually. Patients age 80 are most likely to show which of the following changes compared to when they were age 50? A) A B) B C) C D) D E) E

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11ec160b_3ca2_dbd4_9249_0d8d783b1fa4_MD0001_00 Diastolic blood pressure is the baseline hydrostatic pressure in the arterial system and is directly related to systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and arterial blood volume. Pulse pressure is the amount that arterial pressure increases above diastolic pressure during left ventricular contraction; it is directly related to stroke volume and inversely related to aortic compliance. Systolic blood pressure is the summation of diastolic pressure and pulse pressure. Age-related stiffening of the aorta is the primary driver of characteristic blood pressure changes that occur in those age >65. The reduced aortic compliance in the setting of unchanged stroke volume leads to increased pulse pressure. Reduced compliance also causes less blood volume to be retained in the arterial system (ie, blood is effectively displaced to the more compliant venous compartment), resulting in slightly decreased diastolic pressure. The increase in pulse pressure is greater than the decrease in diastolic pressure, resulting in increased systolic pressure and the characteristic isolated systolic hypertension commonly seen in the elderly population. The systolic hypertension induced by aortic stiffening likely contributes to mild concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, another common finding in elderly individuals. Educational objective: Aortic compliance progressively decreases with age, especially in those age >65. This leads to an increase in pulse pressure, a slight decrease in diastolic pressure, and the characteristic isolated systolic hypertension commonly seen in the elderly population. __________ References: Systolic hypertension. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29494079)

A 30-Year Longitudinal Study That Follows Untreated Individuals with No