title: [The diagnostic differences of asthma in the elderly].
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.
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Chorób Wewnetrzynch i Alergologii, Akademia Medyczna im. Piastów Slaskich we Wrocławiu, ul. Traugutta 57/59, Wrocław. karolina_lindner@tlen.pl
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lindner
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Panaszek
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Machaj
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012135:Respiratory Sounds
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents