Asthma is something we’re all aware of, it isn’t like most other conditions which hide away. The symptoms of asthma are easy to see and hear, the treatment device is easily recognisable as an inhaler. As far as awareness goes, asthma is well covered. In classrooms in the USA there are, on average, two asthmatic children and traditionally asthma is seen as a condition which younger people suffer from. That’s all changing with the ageing population.
The fastest growing age-group is people 85 years and older. With medicine becoming more potent, people are simply living longer and surviving things which in years past would have killed them off. This is good and bad, it’s great for the individuals who experience longer lives but as far as healthcare costs go, the news couldn’t be any worse. With more and more people living past 85 and the plethora of health conditions which the elderly traditionally suffer from the price of healthcare is growing constantly.
It’s now been shown that somewhere in the region of 20% of all over 85 year olds, men and women, suffer from asthma or a similar respiratory condition. Asthma is very treatable but the corticosteroids which asthmatics have to inhale to prevent am attack don’t come cheap and as more and more people need them they’re just going to cost more and more.
In general, chronic diseases are much more common in the elderly and most will have at least one if not more. Obviously it’s important that they get the best care possible and that all of their ailments are treated to the best of the medical systems ability but with more and more of them a top heavy population is looming and there simply won’t be the resources to treat everyone for everything. What’s going to happen is a mystery to me but it will certainly be interesting to find out!
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