Since elderly population is increasing and ischemic heart disease being the leading cause of mortality. The number of patients with ACS and ACS-related morbidities will continue to increase as the proportion of older persons increases.

Because of the fear of complications like bleeding, this group are undertreated. A study with a focus on antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapies was carried out.

Team@CMHF

Given the greater prevalence of ACS and increased morbidity and mortality among the elderly, it is crucial that clinicians recognize the unique risk factors of this group.

The 2002 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) practice guidelines for management of patients with unstable angina and non-ST elevation MI (NSTEMI) attempted to clarify this issue and specifically defined elderly patients as those ≥ 75 years old and identified them as a special at-risk subpopulation.

While elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome are often at high ischemic risk, they remain undertreated because of concerns about complications associated with aggressive intervention, notably bleeding.

Additionally, many of the clinical trials that are the basis of guideline recommendations included few elderly patients or excluded patients older than 75 years altogether.

Reference: http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/749325?src=cmemp