Advanced Patient Assessment Practice Exam

Which heart chamber typically thickens with aging?

1. All four chambers

2. The right ventricle

3. The left atrium

4. The left ventricle

The correct answer is: The left ventricle

As individuals age, the left ventricle of the heart typically experiences hypertrophy, or thickening of its walls, due to several physiological changes. This alteration is primarily a response to increases in systemic vascular resistance and changes in the heart's workload. The left ventricle is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the entire body, and with aging, there can be elevated blood pressure (hypertension) and potential heart valve diseases that place additional stress on this chamber. Over time, the muscle fibers in the left ventricle may grow in size and number to handle the increased demands, leading to this characteristic thickening. While some changes can occur in other chambers of the heart with age, such as potential enlargement of the left atrium due to conditions like atrial fibrillation, the left ventricle is the chamber most frequently noted for significant hypertrophy as part of the aging process and adaptations to hemodynamic changes. This thickening of the left ventricle can impact cardiovascular health and is an important consideration in geriatric assessment.