The diagnostic differences of asthma in the elderly

Karolina Lindner; Bernard Panaszek; Zbigniew Machaj

Vol 76, No 4 (2008)

Review paper

Published online: 2008-06-22

Submitted: 2013-02-22

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The diagnostic differences of asthma in the elderly

Karolina Lindner, Bernard Panaszek, Zbigniew Machaj

Pneumonol Alergol Pol 2008;76(4):246-252.

Vol 76, No 4 (2008)

REVIEWS

Published online: 2008-06-22

Submitted: 2013-02-22

Abstract

Asthma is a common disease among elderly persons. The prevalence of asthma in subjects aged over 65 years is 6.5-17%. The diagnosis of asthma is based on typical symptoms with confirmatory information gained from physical examination and laboratory studies. Respiratory symptoms are less specific in older people. Additionally the clinical manifestations of asthma is complicated by co-morbidities, polypragmasy, underreporting of symptoms, cognitive impairment. Moreover, elderly patients are sometimes unable to perform pulmonary function tests. Consequently, discriminating asthma from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is difficult in this group of patients. The difficulties in differential diagnosis of asthma in older adults entails that disease in the elderly is often underdiagnosed and inadequately treated.