Editorial
Screening older patients for obstructive airways disease
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Many studies have shown an increase in the number of cases of
obstructive airways disease (asthma and chronic obstructive airways
disease) in all age groups over the last few decades.1 2 In the elderly, breathlessness is a common symptom3 and is increasingly common with age.4 A large number of patients
with this symptom will have obstructive airways
disease5 6 and estimates of the proportion of the elderly
population who have evidence of chronic airways obstruction range from
20%7 8 to 30%.6 Some elderly subjects with
objective evidence of obstructive airways disease will not have
received a formal diagnosis6 9 and will not be receiving
any specific treatments.9 Many patients may be untroubled
by their symptoms10 or have adapted to them.5 In response to these findings, several authors have recommended screening for obstructive airways disease in elderly
patients.11 12 The premise is that the prevalence of
respiratory symptoms in the elderly is high and therefore a
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