Aging-related vascular changes contribute to which of the following?

Aging-related vascular changes contribute to which of the following?

• A. Reduced afterload
• B. Increased afterload
• C. Unchanged arterial stiffness
• D. Decreased venous return

Answer: (B)

Afterload is the pressure the left ventricle must overcome to eject blood during systole. As arteries age, they become stiffer from structural changes in the vessel wall—loss of elastin, increased collagen, and calcification. This arterial stiffening raises systolic pressure and the overall resistance the heart must push against, so the left ventricle works harder to eject blood. The increased stiffness also speeds up pulse-wave transmission and causes reflected waves to reach the heart earlier, boosting central aortic pressure and further increasing afterload. Because of this, aging-related vascular changes elevate afterload rather than reduce it, and they don’t make venous return the primary issue.

Afterload is the pressure the left ventricle must overcome to eject blood during systole. As arteries age, they become stiffer from structural changes in the vessel wall—loss of elastin, increased collagen, and calcification. This arterial stiffening raises systolic pressure and the overall resistance the heart must push against, so the left ventricle works harder to eject blood. The increased stiffness also speeds up pulse-wave transmission and causes reflected waves to reach the heart earlier, boosting central aortic pressure and further increasing afterload. Because of this, aging-related vascular changes elevate afterload rather than reduce it, and they don’t make venous return the primary issue.