As the population in the United States ages, more elderly people are being treated for heart failure. It is highly prevalent among the elderly and among women, but often it is not diagnosed and. "That means their pump function is normal, but their relaxation is impaired," Schwarz explained. In this condition, the systolic function of the heart is normal. But even though they make up the majority of those treated for the disease, little is known about the effectiveness of treatment, researchers say.

Some Elderly Heart Failure Patients Get Little Help From Meds, Study Finds -- Elderly people suffering from a type of heart disease called diastolic heart failure do not seem to benefit from the commonly prescribed heart failure drugs, researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles report.

Diastolic dysfunction is com affecting 50 percent of all heart failure patients, Schwarz said. "We really don't have many data on heart failure patients above the age of 80," said lead researcher Dr. In their study, the researchers looked at elderly people with diastolic dysfunction.

Schwarz, medical director of the Cardiac Support Program and co-director of the Heart Transplant Program at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute.