Pathophysiological characteristics of asthma in the elderly: a comprehensive study

Abstract

Based on spirometric, computed tomographic, and impulse oscillation analyses, elderly patients with asthma have greater involvement of small and large airways than nonelderly patients with asthma.

A clustering approach to identify and characterize the asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap phenotype

“…A comprehensive study of elderly patients with asthma in Japan demonstrated that half of the elderly patients had non‐atopic asthma, and total serum IgE levels were significantly lower than in nonelderly patients with asthma. There were no significant differences in FeNO and blood eosinophil rate, which is a finding similar to our study.…”

Clinical Application of the Forced Oscillation Technique

“…A recent study using IOS found that elderly patients with asthma showed higher R5, Fres, and ALX, lower R5-R20, and more negative X5 than nonelderly patients (35). Although, in those reports, R5-R20 and Xrs parameters were implicated to reflect the small airway function, it should be implicated as the overall airway including central elements.…”

Impact of Age and Sex on Response to Asthma Therapy

“…More recent data suggest that older patients have increased "small airway" involvement, increased neutrophilic inflammation, and decreased eosinophil function and specific antibody response compared with younger cohorts (9)(10)(11). These important, but understudied age-related changes in pulmonary function, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, host defense, and inflammation highlight the need for more investigation into this important group of patients.…”