title: Challenges in the pharmacological treatment of geriatric asthma.
abstract: Asthma in older populations is characterized by frequent comorbid conditions, which increase the risk of side effects and of detrimental interactions between respiratory and non-respiratory drugs. These observations lead to the need to manage asthma in older populations by applying a multidimensional assessment and a multidisciplinary treatment; therefore, we favor the use of the 'geriatric' term to define asthma in the elderly. Geriatric asthma is a complex disease, which may not necessarily imply that it is also complicated, although the two conditions may often coexist. On this basis, the switch from an organ-driven management to the holistic approach may be the key factor to attain optimal control of the disease in this age range. The current review discusses the age-related factors affecting asthma treatment in the oldest individuals, such as the comorbid conditions, and age-related changes of metabolism and excretion that can impair the efficacy and safety of drugs.
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Biomedicina e Medicina Interna e Specialistica , University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agusta
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Biomedicina e Medicina Interna e Specialistica , University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Biomedicina e Medicina Interna e Specialistica , University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Alida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benfante
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Biomedicina e Medicina Interna e Specialistica , University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spatafora
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Biomedicina e Medicina Interna e Specialistica , University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.|b Dipartimento della salute delle popolazioni, nutraceutica e biomarkers , Istituto Euro-Mediterraneo della Scienza e Tecnologia , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scichilone
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents
keywords: Aging; adherence; asthma; comorbidity; inhaled treatment