Asthma in Older Patients

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Abstract
ASTHMA IS A major public health problem in the United States, affecting patients across the age spectrum, from infants to older adults. Although much research and public attention has focused on children and young adults, there has been little research on older persons (≥65 years) with asthma.1,2 Although the prevalence of asthma may be similar in older and younger adults, ranging from 4% to 9%,3 morbidity and mortality are greater in older patients. The death rate attributable to asthma is 14 times higher for persons 65 and older compared with those 18 to 35, with 89.8 deaths vs 6.3 deaths per million, respectively.2 Among 5400 deaths from asthma reported in the United States between 1993 and 1995 for all ages, 2900 (54%) were among people 65 and older.2 Similarly, older adults are hospitalized at more than twice the rate of younger adults, with a rate of 25.6 hospitalizations per 10 000 compared with 10.0 per 10 000 for persons aged 15 to 34.2