Asthma is a chronic diverse respiratory disease characterised by restricted airflow and a variety of respiratory symptoms. Asthma has a significant detrimental influence on quality of life in people over the age of 65. The pathogenesis and therapy of asthma in elderly people are less well understood than in younger age groups. The study proposes to summarise characteristics identified in older persons that distinguish them from other age groups of asthma patients in this review. Immunosenescence refers to changes in innate and adaptive immune responses that occur as we age. These age-related changes include a changed response to a pathogenic exposure or tissue injury, which is moderately mediated by an irreversible loss of cellular reproduction and impaired tissue healing.
Asthma is caused by complex gene–environment interactions, resulting in a wide range of clinical manifestations as well as the kind and intensity of airway inflammation and remodelling. Changes in lung physiology and morphology that occur with age may occur and contribute to asthma. Aging is associated with a significant decrease in elastic recoil, increased chest wall rigidity, and decreased respiratory muscle strength. The underreporting of symptoms by older people is widespread due to a variety of underlying factors.
Reference: https://journals.lww.com/co-allergy/Abstract/2019/06000/Outcome_measures_to_be_considered_on_asthma_in.5.aspx
