[The heart in the elderly. Pathology: macroscopic and light microscopy findings in the heart].

The average heart weight increases up to the 9th decade. An existence of senile atrophy is not confirmed. Various morphological abnormalities of the heart in the elderly can be found during the course of life--polypathy of the heart. The number of these changes increases on average in each heart linearly with age. In polypathy of the heart the abnormalities which have functional consequences, such as stenosing coronary sclerosis, small vessel disease, heart hypertrophy, calcification of mitral ring and/or the aortic valves, as well as a cardiac amyloidosis are of the utmost importance. The polypathy of the heart in the elderly increases its vulnerability and may lead to a latent or manifest heart insufficiency. The law of polypathy is not only valid for the heart, but also for the whole organism.