Left atrial enlargement and reduced physical function during aging

AA Pellett, L Myers, M Welsch… - Journal of aging …, 2013 - journals.humankinetics.com
AA Pellett, L Myers, M Welsch, SM Jazwinski, DA Welsh
Journal of aging and physical activity, 2013journals.humankinetics.com
Diastolic dysfunction, often seen with increasing age, is associated with reduced exercise
capacity and increased mortality. Mortality rates in older individuals are linked to the
development of disability, which may be preceded by functional limitations. The goal of this
study was to identify which echocardiographic measures of diastolic function correlate with
physical function in older subjects. A total of 36 men and women from the Louisiana Healthy
Aging Study, age 62–101 yr, received a complete echocardiographic exam and performed …
Diastolic dysfunction, often seen with increasing age, is associated with reduced exercise capacity and increased mortality. Mortality rates in older individuals are linked to the development of disability, which may be preceded by functional limitations. The goal of this study was to identify which echocardiographic measures of diastolic function correlate with physical function in older subjects. A total of 36 men and women from the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study, age 62–101 yr, received a complete echocardiographic exam and performed the 10-item continuous-scale physical-functional performance test (CS-PFP-10). After adjustment for age and gender, left atrial volume index (ρ = –0.59; p = .0005) correlated with the total CS-PFP-10 score. Increased left atrial volume index may be a marker of impaired performance of activities of daily living in older individuals.
Human Kinetics Journals