Physiologic Changes of Aging Related to Fluid Balance and Blood Pressure Regulation

Age-Related Changes in Fluid Balance and Cardiovascular Health

• The American College of Cardiology recognizes that decreased total body water is a physiologic change of aging related to fluid balance and blood pressure regulation 1
• Aging is associated with progressive increase in central conduit artery stiffness due to increased collagen cross-linking and degradation of elastin fibers, leading to systolic blood pressure progressively rising while diastolic blood pressure plateaus in late middle-age and may decline slightly thereafter 2
• This arterial stiffening results in a widened pulse pressure, which is characteristic in older adults, and after age 70, isolated systolic hypertension accounts for >90% of all hypertension cases in older adults 2
• The American Heart Association, as published in Circulation, notes that aging is associated with increased collagen cross-linking and degradation of elastin fibers, leading to arterial stiffening 3