Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: molecular pathways of the aging myocardium.

ABSTRACT: Age-related diastolic dysfunction is a major factor in the epidemic of heart failure. In patients hospitalized with heart failure, HFpEF is now as common as heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. We now have many successful treatments for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, while specific treatment options for HFpEF patients remain elusive. The lack of treatments for HFpEF reflects our very incomplete understanding of this constellation of diseases. There are many pathophysiological factors in HFpEF, but aging appears to play an important role. Here, we propose that aging of the myocardium is itself a specific pathophysiological process. New insights into the aging heart, including hormonal controls and specific molecular pathways, such as microRNAs, are pointing to myocar

SUBMITTER: Loffredo FS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4094348 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature