Normal ageing of the lung: implications for diagnosis and monitoring of asthma in older people.
WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW: Is there an increased loss of elastic recoil over and above that due to ageing alone? How do we interpret inflammatory changes in the light of age-related airway inflammation? Is there an interaction between perception of airway narrowing and severity or control of disease? Are symptom-based action plans appropriate? Is control of the disease affected by the distribution of inhaled therapeutic aerosols and dry powder particles? WHAT WE NEED TO DO: Include patients aged 80 years and over in clinical trials. Assess functional and inflammatory parameters with appropriate age-matched controls in clinical trials. Assess feasibility and efficacy of symptom-based action plans versus those based on objective monitoring. Assess the responsiveness of elderly people to currently recommended therapies.
Berend
Norbert
N
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Level 3, Building 92, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. nberend@woolcock.org.au
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology*