<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="480641343" paraeid="{38dac4e1-8f30-42be-a9d7-e0af3449d866}{208}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Before developing cardiovascular disease</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> (CVD)</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">, patients show decline in functional aging markers, such as higher frailty levels</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> and poorer physical functioning, data from a nested case-control study</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> show</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1854467469" paraeid="{323d2497-6183-4044-b973-c12533f75b21}{74}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Aung Zaw </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Zaw</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> Phyo, PhD, of the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues, reported these results in </span></span><em><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">JAMA Cardiology</span></em><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> on Wednesday.</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1797310949" paraeid="{953d9739-25ce-4c8e-aaea-bb51df80875f}{193}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Efforts </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">are underway around the world </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">to prevent and improve risks for CVD</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> Several aging markers are associated with death and morbidity in CVD, including frailty, cognitive </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">decline</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> and other physiological changes.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="657129605" paraeid="{0d4c2bf1-2c58-4a14-99de-675b5c33c42e}{219}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Investigators in this analysis examined the association between </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">three health measures, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">frailty, intrinsic capacity (IC) and physical health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL)</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">and CVD events in later-life. Patients with later-life CVD were compared with patients who did not have later-life CVD: 14-year trajectories were </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">record</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">ed in the study.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="506063497" paraeid="{360975a8-7027-49c6-81c4-3008478a306d}{116}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">The IC framework used was defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and included 5 domains, 4 of which were used in the ASPREE trial: cognition, locomotion, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">vitality</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> and psychological well-being.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="279036801" paraeid="{b1a4c9cb-0f84-4695-adcb-f628d666583b}{153}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">The ASPREE (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) cohort data were used for this case-control study. Participants were 70 years of age or older, or 65 years or older if t</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">hey were a</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> U.S. Black or Latino individual</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> (self-reported)</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">, and had no record of CVD events, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">dementia</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> or detrimental physical disabilities.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1841823381" paraeid="{106f2905-ea4f-402d-8ca7-eb90bf1522c4}{137}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">All participants were recruited in the U.S. and in Australia. Data were collected between March 2010 and December 2014 for the ASPREE cohort. </span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1333347876" paraeid="{0dbd36d4-846f-4678-952b-a4165a93a169}{147}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">For every one CVD case there were four matching control participants who were within 1 year of age of the CVD</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> participant, the same sex as the CVD participant and had the same education status as the CVD participant.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="2052987796" paraeid="{6d8e034b-e346-4ada-b84d-e0625519e1a0}{50}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">The participants were followed through December </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW147887514 BCX0">2024</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> and the present data were analyzed between January and May 2026.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="578784810" paraeid="{0dbd36d4-846f-4678-952b-a4165a93a169}{83}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Expert clinical panels </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">adjudicated</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> the CVD events in this trial.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1125260842" paraeid="{20d83852-3b7b-4882-af4a-ca053eb1b19c}{183}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">This present analysis included 12,015 participants (mean age=76.4 years, 52% men): 2,403 CVD cases and 9,612 control participants.</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1925392723" paraeid="{3b49304d-302f-424b-b3b0-75e52b41343c}{252}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">The investigators found that participants who experienced a CVD event had worse aging profiles in the decade prior to 14-year follow-up, including higher frailty rates, lower </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW147887514 BCX0">IC</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> and worsening physical HRQOL.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="968080876" paraeid="{57d28136-72cc-49c6-a5c7-48a0ab1baa2d}{91}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Within the 5 years prior to a CVD event, participants in the CVD case group had significantly worsened aging symptoms compared with control participants.</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="966019446" paraeid="{2531939b-4f7b-4dc1-857e-b5bbd4dfc0ec}{217}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">This divergence o</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">ccurred even earlier in patients with heart failure and fatal coronary heart disease (</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">nearly 10</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> years or more before the event) compared with heart attack or stroke.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="755458518" paraeid="{2531939b-4f7b-4dc1-857e-b5bbd4dfc0ec}{234}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">This case-control study suggests that declining aging markers could be predictive of future CVD events. The investigators concluded that further research should di</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">ve into the predictive nature of aging symptoms decades before the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">occurrence</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> of CVD events.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1694206876" paraeid="{f0001d89-97b9-45f9-bd66-cd904c38d824}{108}"><strong><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Source:</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></strong></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1745958598" paraeid="{f0001d89-97b9-45f9-bd66-cd904c38d824}{149}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Zaw Phyo AZ, Wu Z, Tonkin AM, et al. Multidimensional aging trajectories preceding cardiovascular events. </span><em><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">JAMA </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW147887514 BCX0">Cardiol</span></span></em><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">. 2026 September 23 (Article in Press).</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW147887514 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW147887514 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1609315120" paraeid="{a7e9aa9d-4e93-430a-a242-bb4f0087e3fb}{187}"><strong><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW147887514 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0">Image Credit: </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW147887514 BCX0">NanSan</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147887514 BCX0"> – stock.adobe.com</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW147887514 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></strong></p> </div>