Abstract
The autonomic nervous system is critical in the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis. Healthy human aging is associated with several abnormalities in autonomic nervous system function that can impair an older person's adaptation to the stresses of everyday life. Aging affects central and peripheral autonomic regulation of heart rate and blood pressure. Healthy elderly can compensate for these age-related changes in autonomic function under normal conditions, but the buffering capacity to adjust is diminished. This makes the elderly susceptible to added insults, like the presence of diseases that are common in that age group (diabetes, hypertension, Parkinson disease, etc.) and to side effects of medications. Under these conditions the diminished autonomic buffering capacity can be overwhelmed resulting in orthostatic hypotension. In this chapter we will first review age-related changes in autonomic function that occur in healthy elderly and will then discuss how this impacts disease processes.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
