Managing Asthma in Older Adults

Asthma is often considered a disease of childhood, but it is becoming increasingly prevalent among older adults. Asthma significantly reduces both the psychological and physical quality of life among older adults and accounts for exorbitant health care costs. There are more asthma-related deaths among older adults than in any other age group. Managing asthma in this age group is complicated by existing comorbidities, adverse side effects to common medications, and nonspecific symptoms that often go unrecognized. This article reviews evidence-based asthma management of older adults.