The care of elderly patients with cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease is a major clinical problem in the elderly, with coronary heart disease the most frequent cause of death and with hypertension present in as many as 50% of these patients. The cardiovascular manifestations of aging must be differentiated from those due to disease. There are clinical manifestations and responses to therapy in the elderly that differ from those in younger patients. The extent of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures undertaken should be based on the patient's physiologic age, the presence and severity of concomitant diseases, mental status and cognitive ability, and the patient's expectations from medical care. Preventive approaches are also warranted.