How does aging affect the cardiovascular system histologically?
The cardiovascular system undergoes significant histological changes with age. These include thickening of the arterial walls due to an increase in collagen and a decrease in elastin. There is also an accumulation of lipofuscin in cardiac muscle cells, indicative of oxidative stress. The myocardial cells often exhibit hypertrophy and there can be an increased presence of fibrotic tissue within the heart.
