Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly

The second edition of this book updates, reviews, and discusses the latest findings on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of cardiovascular disease in the older patient. It explains the physiological changes associated with the normal aging process that may lead to the development of disease, to adverse consequences once disease develops, and which alter the risk-benefit equation for medical and other interventions designed to diagnose, assess, and treat cardiovascular disease. Chapters address key issues in the management of cardiovascular disease in the elderly including prevention, coronary artery disease, valvular disease, hypertensive disease, arrhythmias, and interventions. Wherever possible, the authors take an evidence-based approach to recommendations and rely heavily on clinical trials. The value of lifestyle changes in the aging population, the use of primary and secondary prevention strategies, treatments, and complications are also discussed.
Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly offers physicians and other related providers who care for older patients a gold-standard approach to understanding and managing cardiovascular disease in this group.


Dr. Thorsten M. Leucker is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Basic and Translational Vascular Biology Research within the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. His clinical work focuses on cardiac critical care and Dr. Leucker attends regularly in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit (CCU) at Johns Hopkins Hospital. While attending in the CCU, Dr. Leucker manages the care of cardiac patients with critical heart disease and teaches and mentors residents and fellows in the treatment of these patients as well as the mechanisms responsible for cardiac disease and strategies to decrease the likelihood of future events. In addition, Dr. Leucker is a core faculty member with the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, attends in the Advanced Lipid Disorders Clinic and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology. Dr. Leucker is a physician-scientist and runs a basic vascular laboratory at Johns Hopkins as well as several translational clinical trials to better understand the impact of vascular inflammation in patients with acute coronary syndrome. In his basic laboratory, he investigates the impact of pro-inflammatory mediators on basic endothelial cell function. In addition, Dr. Leucker is the principal investigator on several intra- and extra-mural research grants investigating underlying mechanisms of pro-inflammatory disease states, such as diabetes, HIV infection and aging, on vascular and myocardial dysfunction. Dr. Leucker has published more than 50 articles and book chapters and has been a referee for numerous journals including Circulation, Circulation Research, Hypertension, and American Journal of Physiology- Heart and Circulatory Physiology. He is an associated editor for the International Journal of Cardiology, Heart and Vasculature. Dr. Leucker is a professional member of the National Lipid Association (NLA), European Society of Cardiology (ESC), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and American Heart Association (AHA), and Member of the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB).
Dr. Gary Gerstenblith is Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Trials in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Division of Cardiology. He also serves as attending physician in the Cardiology Care Unit. Dr. Gerstenblith earned his undergraduate degree from New York University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After working at the National Institute on Aging (NIH) and completing a fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Dr. Gerstenblith joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Gerstenblith conducts clinical trials in patients with cardiovascular disease. His research interests include the impact of cardiovascular aging on cardiac structure and function, and the use of stem cells to repair damaged cardiac muscle. He has published nearly 250 articles and book chapters and has been a referee for numerous journals including Circulation, The New England Journal of Medicine and The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.