Inflammation, Aging, and Cardiovascular Disease: JACC Review Topic of the Week

  • J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022 Mar 1;79(8):837-847. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.12.017.
Luca Liberale  1 ,  Lina Badimon  2 ,  Fabrizio Montecucco  3 ,  Thomas F Lüscher  4 ,  Peter Libby  5 ,  Giovanni G Camici  6
Affiliations
  • 1. Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland; First Clinic of Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/liberale_luca.
  • 2. Cardiovascular Research Program ICCC, IR-IIB Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, CiberCV-Institute Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/lbadimon.
  • 3. First Clinic of Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino Genoa-Italian Cardiovascular Network, Genoa, Italy.
  • 4. Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland; Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals and Imperial College, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/TomLuscher.
  • 5. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
  • 6. Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland; University Heart Center, Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Research and Education, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 35210039 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.12.017
Abstract

Aging and inflammation both contribute pivotally to cardiovascular (CV) and Cerebrovascular Disease, the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. The concept of inflamm-aging recognizes that low-grade inflammatory pathways observed in the elderly contribute to CV risk. Understanding the mechanisms that link inflammation and aging could reveal new therapeutic targets and offer options to cope with the growing aging population worldwide. This review reports recent scientific advances in the pathways through which inflamm-aging mediates age-dependent decline in CV function and disease onset and considers critically the translational potential of such concepts into everyday clinical practice.

Keywords
cardiovascular disease; inflamm-aging; inflammation; vascular aging.