It is estimated that the elderly (> 65 years of age) will increase from 13%-14% 
to 25% by 2035. If this trend continues, > 50% of the United States population 
and more than two billion people worldwide will be "aged" in the next 50 years. 
Aged individuals face formidable challenges to their health, as aging is 
associated with a myriad of diseases. Cardiovascular disease is the leading 
cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States with > 50% of mortality 
attributed to coronary artery disease and > 80% of these deaths occurring in 
those age 65 and older. Therefore, age is an important predictor of 
cardiovascular disease. The efficiency of youth is built upon cellular signaling 
scaffolds that provide tight and coordinated signaling. Lipid rafts are one such 
scaffold of which caveolae are a subset. In this review, we consider the 
importance of caveolae in common cardiovascular diseases of the aged and as 
potential therapeutic targets. We specifically address the role of caveolin in 
heart failure, myocardial ischemia, and pulmonary hypertension.