The prevalence of many cardiovascular diseases increases exponentially with ageing, especially coronary heart disease in women, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, hypertension and some valvular heart diseases. This situation is a challenge for modern cardiology since all surveys show that management of elderly and advanced elderly patients differs from what is observed in younger patients and does not follow international guidelines. This is the reason why the ESC and the WHF will highlight this subject at WCC 2006 in a series of dedicated sessions analysing the situation and examining the differences and/or similarities between recommendations and management modalities in the ageing population with cardiovascular disorders as compared with the younger generation.