Aging and cardiovascular disease: a summary of the Eighth Münster International Arteriosclerosis Symposium.

Abstract

This unique symposium focused on the remarkable increase in the older population that is occurring in many countries of the world. The international experts spoke on the effects of aging on cardiovascular disease, which is by far the most prominent cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. The program highlighted some of the most prominent changes that occur in the elderly and influence the toll that cardiovascular disease takes. The program was divided into four sessions: (1) the effects of aging on some of the cardiovascular risk factors; (2) the effects of aging on the heart muscle; (3) reports on recent studies of the effects of aging on morphology and function of the conduction system; and (4) a session featuring outstanding authorities on aging and the elastin, collagen, and calcium of the vessel wall, all of which are frequently added to the artery wall during aging. The speakers were carefully selected from top scholars in England, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States. Professor W.H. Hauss, who pioneered the development of the Institute for Arteriosclerosis Research at the University of Munster, Germany, and is now in his 80s, opened the symposium and introduced four prominent officials in health, education, and other German government posts, who added their words of welcome. The first session was chaired by Professor G. Assmann, who is the current director of the Arteriosclerosis Research Institute in Munster, Germany. He gave the opening presentation on genetic determinants of life expectancy, a subject on which he is a world authority. He began his presentation with a brief description of the very large PROCAM study of more than 35 000 individuals, two thirds of whom are male, being carried out at the University of Munster Arteriosclerosis Institute in Westphalia. This long-term study of the natural history …