RESUMEN

La transición demográfica está generando que la población mayor de 60 años sea cada vez mayor, el envejecimiento del cuerpo humano y los cambios en la reserva funcional originan que las manifestaciones clínicas en este grupo de edad sean diferentes y que las herramientas utilizadas para el diagnóstico no tengan la misma sensibilidad que en individuos más jóvenes. El asma es una enfermedad prevalente en el anciano, que compromete su funcionalidad e independencia. El envejecimiento de sistemas produce que la espirometría y las pruebas de reto con broncodilatador aporten resultados que no pueden ser evaluados con parámetros desarrollados en jóvenes, complicando el diagnóstico de asma en el adulto mayor. Estudios realizados en ancianos con asma evidencian que la proporción de pacientes con enfermedad de componente atópico es menor y que la sintomatología y el tipo de complicaciones son muy variadas, lo que dificulta el diagnóstico diferencial ante las múltiples comorbilidades que suelen presentar, principalmente las de origen cardiaco y pulmonar. A pesar de la buena respuesta del anciano al tratamiento escalonado se requiere una valoración profunda de las posibles interacciones farmacológicas y de los medicamentos potencialmente inapropiados ante la polifarmacia que suelen consumir, por lo que el manejo interdisciplinario de estos pacientes se vuelve imprescindible.

PALABRAS CLAVE

Adulto mayor, asma, envejecimiento, comorbilidad.

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