Typical presenting complaints in both younger and older HF patients include breathlessness, fatigue, sleep difficulty, and peripheral edema. It can be difficult to interpret these symptoms in the elderly, particularly in individuals with common conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, and anemia.
Exertional breathlessness in the elderly can have noncardiac etiologies. Fatigue and lethargy, common elderly complaints, can be associated with depression and anemia. Ankle edema in the elderly may also be caused by venous insufficiency, medications, or hypoalbuminemia.