Aging diastole - root cause for atrial fibrillation and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

The age-related decline in diastolic function can result in heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), which are comorbid conditions that are increasingly prevalent and have a high socioeconomic burden. In humans, diastolic dysfunction results from structural and functional changes that increasingly impede diastolic filling after midlife. Comorbidities and pathomechanisms that lead to additional increases in cardiac filling pressures accelerate the age-related deterioration in diastolic function. It is, therefore, that targeting the accelerators of diastolic dysfunction holds the most promise in reducing the risk for HFpEF and AF.