ABSTRACT

The population over 60 years is increasing because of the demographic transition, the aging of the human body and the changes on functional reserve make that the clinical manifestations are different and the tools used for diagnosis may not have the same sensitivity as in younger people. Asthma remains a prevalent disease in the elderly and compromises their functionality and independence. Aging produces that tools such as spirometry and challenge test with bronchodilator provide results than can’t be evaluated with those parameters developed in younger people complicating the diagnosis of asthma in this population. Studies in elderly with asthma have shown that the proportion of patients with an atopic component are lower and the kind of symptoms and complications are varied, which makes the differential diagnosis with multiple comorbidities, especially from other heart and lung diseases. Despite the good response to stepped treatment in the elderly, this population requires a deep evaluation of possible drug interactions and potentially inappropriate medication related with the large numbers of drugs they usually consume, making an interdisciplinary treatment imperative.

KEYWORDS

Asthma, aging, comorbidity, elderly.

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