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Comparison between late onset and childhood asthma.
A Vergnenègre1, M T Antonini, F Bonnaud
1Service des Maladies Respiratories, Hopital Universitaire du Cluzeau.
Allergologia Et Immunopathologia
|September 1, 1992
Summary
Late-onset asthma in older adults is more severe and may be linked to allergies, unlike childhood asthma. This study compared disease severity and characteristics in elderly asthmatics versus children with asthma and COPD patients.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Allergology
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- Asthma onset after age 50 is common, but its severity and causes remain unclear.
- Late-onset asthma presents unique challenges in diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the clinical severity and characteristics of late-onset asthma with childhood-onset asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- To investigate the role of allergy in elderly-onset asthma.
Main Methods:
- Compared 25 elderly asthmatics (onset >50 yrs) with 23 asthmatic children and 24 COPD patients.
- Assessed asthma severity (Aas score), pulmonary function (FVC, FEV1, MMEFR, Raw), bronchial reversibility, and allergy markers (skin prick tests, RAST, IgE).
- Excluded smokers from asthma groups; all COPD patients were smokers.
Main Results:
- Childhood asthmatics showed significantly lower asthma severity, less bronchial obstruction, and greater reversibility than elderly asthmatics.
- Elderly asthmatics and COPD patients had similar pulmonary function test results pre- and post-bronchodilators.
- All asthmatic children were allergic, while 40% of elderly asthmatics showed allergic sensitization.
Conclusions:
- Late-onset asthma is associated with a more severe disease course compared to childhood asthma.
- Allergy appears to be a significant contributing factor in many cases of elderly-onset asthma.