TO-ChERIsH: Trajectory of Cardiovascular Ageing, Its Determinants and Impact on Health

In Singapore, elderly residents aged 65 years and above make up 10.5% of our population and this is expected to double in 2030 (Singapore Department of Statistics, Ministry of Manpower, Registry of Birth and Deaths, September 2014). Cardiovascular diseases account for the majority of disability-adjusted life years by broad cause group, accounting for 20% of 399,675 life years lost due to mortality and ill-health in 2010 (Source: Estimates from the Singapore Burden of Disease Study 2010).

While chronological ageing is inevitable, a clear understanding is needed as to how ageing becomes a critical risk component of CVD for some individuals, and the mechanisms through which ageing results in such a vulnerable phenotype that leads towards clinical CVD. Following that, clinical tools and clinical guidelines to reduce cardiovascular disease and other health burdens contributed by ageing may be formulated. Such strategies may potentially reduce burdens and cost of healthcare provision to the ageing population.

Our proposal will generate data that identifies functional and structural changes in the cardiovascular system that occur in during ageing. Using a longitudinal design, this research will provide high quality evidence that distinguishes healthy from unhealthy cardiovascular ageing, and reveal determinants and impact of CV ageing over time on CVD and associated health outcomes.