老年患者心力衰竭的临床特点

心力衰竭（HF）是老年人群中发病率、死亡率较高的心血管疾病，老年人HF的临床表现和治疗措施均具有自身特点，在临床诊断和处理过程中需特别注意。一般来讲，缺血性心脏病、高血压病是老年人HF的主要病因；由于老年HF患者常合并多系统、多器官疾病，因此HF临床症状多不典型，易被其他临床情况掩盖；借助于超声心动图和N端B型利钠肽前体的测定可以明确诊断。老年人HF的治疗原则依然是控制HF症状，提高生活质量和改善预后；临床实践中，需根据老年人自身特点调整各种HF治疗药物，必须考虑到老年人HF的病因、是否同时合并的多种疾病以及整体的功能状态。

Clinical characteristics of heart failure in the elderly

Heart failure （HF） is a common cardiovascular disease with higher morbidity and mortality in the aged population. Since the elderly have their own characteristics in the clinical manifestations and therapeutic measures of the disease, special attention should be paid to its clinical diagnosis and management. Generally speaking, ischemic cardiac disease and hypertension are the major causes of HF in the elderly. Because the HF in the elderly is often associated with multi-system, multi-organ diseases, its clinical symptoms are atypical, easily concealed by other clinical situations. With the aid of echocardiography and measurement of NT-proBNP, we can establish a diagnosis. The principles of HF treatment in the elderly are still to control clinical symptoms and improve the quality of life and prognosis. In clinical practice, medication should be modulated according to the specific conditions for each individual, taking the cause of HF, co-morbidities and overall functional status into consideration.