Influence of aging on cardiac function examined by echocardiography

We assessed the influence of aging on cardiac function using echocardiography to measure systolic and diastolic function. The study group included 494 normal subjects aged 13 to 87 years. We determined the ratio of E and A waves of left and right ventricular inflow (LV E/A, RV E/A), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and the ratio of the pre-ejection period and ejection time of the left ventricle (PEP/ET). Both LV E/A and RV E/A decreased significantly with age of subject. Rate of decline was greater in the LV E/A than in the RV E/A, but LVEF and PEP/ET were not significantly associated with aging. The results showed decline in the left and right ventricular diastolic function with age; however, left ventricular systolic function was not affected. The results also suggest that diastolic function is more sensitive than systolic function when the natural course of a large population is studied.