Many people associate asthma with childhood. We’ve all seen the heavy-breathing child reach for their inhaler to relieve the symptoms of the condition and maybe that plays on our minds. But the truth is that asthma can be a problem at any time in your life. The majority of cases start in childhood but there are an increasing number of cases of adult-onset asthma.
But now we are beginning to realise the problems of adults having asthma, especially as they become elderly. Asthma is a difficult condition to manage when you are young and otherwise healthy, but new research suggests that it becomes an even bigger problem when you get older.
A team of researchers from the University Of Texas School Of Public Health revealed in their study that elderly people with asthma are more prone to health issues as they age than younger adults with asthma.
The team looked at two different age groups of adults with current asthma to see what health issues they had over a period of 15 years. The older age group with asthma was much more likely to encounter health problems like poorer lung condition and other sicknesses. They were also more likely to require hospitalisation than their younger counterparts.
For the study, the researchers looked at data from 841 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. All of the participants in the study had current, medically diagnosed asthma. The younger age group was those adults under 55, while the older group comprised adults over 55.
The results show a very serious trend in the worsening of lung function for people with asthma over the age of 55. This indicates that if you suffer from asthma at this time in your life it’s vital you have regular check-ups with your doctor to ensure that you stay healthy.
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