ATHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE IN VERY OLD-AGE - PRELIMINARY-RESULTS FROM THE BERLIN-AGING-STUDY (BASE)

Prevalence rates of atherosclerotic diseases and its association to ri sk- and protective factors were analyzed in an age and gender stratifi ed sample of a Berlin population of 70-103-year-old subjects (BASE: Be rlin Aging Study). The investigation revealed three essential findings . (i) Age-specific differences in the prevalence rates of coronary hea rt disease and peripheral vascular disease were not detectable. (ii) C erebrovascular disease was less frequent among subjects over 90 years compared to younger subjects. (iii) Some well documented risk factors of cardiovascular morbidity (hypertension, obesity, low serum HDL-chol esterol) appeared to be unrelated to atherosclerotic manifestations in advanced old age. Hypertension, elevated serum-cholesterol and male s ex, however, were significantly associated with cerebrovascular diseas e, as was smoking and male sex with peripheral vascular disease. The r elatively low number of persons diagnosed with cerebrovascular disease in the highest age-group (90-103 years) was probably due to selective mortality. In summary, this univariate analysis confirmed association s between cardiovascular morbidity, and risk factors also in advanced old age.