fig1

Figure 1. Cardiac aging is associated with a myriad of cellular and structural changes that result in heightened systemic and cardiac inflammation. These changes cause a shift in cardiac macrophage populations with an abundance of bone marrow-derived, pro-inflammatory macrophages and a reduction in the percentage of resident anti-inflammatory macrophages. The heart also becomes populated with other immune cells that promote tissue inflammation, such as monocytes, neutrophils, and T cells. This phenomenon is associated with cardiac fibroblast activation and fibrosis. Additionally, aging is associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased stiffness. Taken together, aging-related changes in the heart result in diastolic dysfunction and the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (the figure was prepared using Biorender, https://biorender.com/).