Geriatric cardiology: general provisions

Abstract

The increase in life expectancy, thanks not least to the success of disease prevention and treatment, has led to a global restructuring of the population structure with a dramatic increase of the elderly and long-livers. Characteristics for elderly patients are the spectrum of age-associated types of pathology, disease-nonspecific symptoms and syndromes, polypharmacy, and functional in capacity which require a fundamentally different approach from the «disease-centered» approach in modern medicine. The review examines the history of geriatric cardiology and its demographic factors, the tasks of geriatric cardiology at the current stage of the development of clinical medicine, focuses on a number of specific geriatric conditions such as multimorbidity, polypharmacy, geriatric syndromes, and the limited representation of geriatric aspects of cardiovascular diseases in the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology. It is emphasized that the organic incorporation of principles and methods of comprehensive geriatric assessment into the traditional cardiological diagnostic and treatment process using methods of geriatric screening, geriatric diagnosis, creation of individual treatment and recovery programs will allow to improve the quality of life, functional status, to prevent traumatic events and acute conditions in of elderly patients, to reduce the burden on the medical and social security system.