[Senile heart: an aging process of an organ and its system or an autonomous clinical entity?].

Even though with increasing age it becomes progressively more difficult to distinguish between physiologic and pathologic changes and also considering the marked rise in the number of asymptomatic forms, the senile heart appears to be characterized by functional peculiarities rather than by specific organic alterations. Reduced contractility and myocardial compliance lead to the diminished effort adaptation characteristic for old age; to this must be added the degenerative changes of systemic vessels adding up to increased aortic impedance. Aging of the heart is not a clinical entity and therefore on no account requires therapeutic intervention provided investigation of each individual case has ascertained the absence of asymptomatic pathology. The sole possibility apt to delay the onset of overt pathology is physical exercise according to an individually tailored program.