Year: 2026
Type: editorial
Abstract: This editorial refers to ‘Modification of the association between age and mortality in heart failure by frailty status’, by C. H. Garred et al., https://doi.org/10.1093/ejhf/xuag137. Modern medicine aims for precision; yet, when it comes to heart failure (HF), clinical-decision making often relies on age which per se does not tell us much about the patient. For decades, chronological age has been used as a proxy for prognosis and to guide therapeutic choices. Indeed, HF predominantly affects older adults, and its global prevalence continues to rise, largely driven by population ageing and improved survival following cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.1 Moreover, advances in HF therapies have enabled more people to live longer with this condition.2–4 Chronological age is a well-established predictor of mortality. Nearly half of the people aged 80 years or older die within 2 years from a HF diagnosis, perhaps because of their high burden of comorbidities, which makes their management a lot more complex than in younger patients.5,6 With advancing age, many organs lose their reserve capacity and are more vulnerable to stressors. In addition, older adults with HF are often at increased risk of social isolation and may have limited capacity for self-care, both of which can also contribute to poorer clinical outcomes. However, many individuals in their eighties and nineties remain active, independent, and future-oriented, highlighting that chronological age alone is insufficient to capture the heterogeneity of the ageing process.
DOI: 10.1093/ejhf/xuag145
Institutions: Inserm, Universidade do Porto, Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire de Nancy, French Clinical Research Infrastructure Network, Défaillance Cardiovasculaire Aiguë et Chronique, Université de Lorraine, McGill University Health Centre, University of Glasgow, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Language: English
Topic: Frailty in Older Adults
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7157982552
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