title: [Asthma in the elderly].
abstract: Asthma is a common condition in the elderly although often confounded with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in this population. Asthma in the elderly seems to represent a specific phenotype characterized by more severe, but often less perceived, airway obstruction, a neutrophilic or mixed-type of airway inflammation and frequent comorbidities. Patients aged 65 years and over have an increased asthma-related morbidity and mortality compared to younger patients, probably due to difficulties in regard to diagnosis, assessment of the disease severity and treatment. Research is urgently needed to determine the optimal treatment of the aged patient. In this document we will review the state of knowledge on this topic and discuss the challenges of multidisciplinary asthma management in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, université Laval, 2725, chemin Sainte-Foy, G1V 4G5 Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robitaille
authors.affiliation: Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, université Laval, 2725, chemin Sainte-Foy, G1V 4G5 Québec, QC, Canada. Electronic address: lpboulet@med.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: L-P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Boulet
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans
keywords: Airway inflammation; Asthma; Asthma phenotype; Asthme; Asthme gériatrique; Elderly; Geriatric asthma; Inflammation bronchique; Personne âgée; Phénotype asthmatique