The geriatric asthma: pitfalls and challenges

Historically, asthma has been envisioned as a disease of younger ages. This has led to the assumption that respiratory symptoms suggestive of asthma occurring in older ages are to be attributed to conditions other than asthma, mainly COPD. Old observational reports and new epidemiological studies confirm that asthma is as frequent in older as it is in younger populations. Nevertheless, under-recognition, misdiagnosis and under-treatment are still relevant issues. The characterization of asthma in the aged suffers from the fact that there has been very little original research in this field. Indeed, geriatric asthma is often excluded from clinical trials because of age and comorbidities. The current review paper revises the areas that need to be elucidated, and highlights the gaps in the management of this condition. It follows that a multidimensional management is advocated for elderly asthmatics to evaluate the severity and establish the complexity of the disease. We suggest that the term “geriatric” asthma should be preferred to “senile” asthma, which is confined to the age-related changes in the lung, or the more generic “asthma in the elderly”, which is only descriptive of the prevalence in specific age groups

Asthma in the elderly: A different disease?

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that affects all ages, but does this definition also include the elderly? Traditionally, asthma has been considered a disease of younger age, but epidemiological studies and clinical experience support the concept that asthma is as prevalent in older age as it is in the young. With the ever-increasing elderly population worldwide, the detection and proper management of the disease in old age may have a great impact from the public health perspective. Whether asthma in the elderly maintains the same characteristics as in young populations is an interesting matter. The diagnostic process in older individuals with suspected asthma follows the same steps, namely a detailed history supported by clinical examination and laboratory investigations; however, it should be recognised that elderly patients may partially lose reversibility of airway obstruction. The correct interpretation of spirometric curves in the elderly should take into account the physiological changes in the respiratory system. Several factors contribute to delaying the diagnosis of asthma in the elderly, including the age-related impairment in perception of breathlessness. The management of asthma in advanced age is complicated by the comorbidities and polypharmacotherapy, which advocate for a comprehensive approach with a multidimensional assessment. It should be emphasised that older age frequently represents an exclusion criterion for eligibility in clinical trials, and current asthma medications have rarely been tested in elderly asthmatics. Ageing is associated with pharmacokinetic changes of the medications. As a consequence, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of antiasthmatic medications can be variably affected. Similarly, drug-to-drug interactions may reduce the effectiveness of inhaled medications and increase the risk of side-effects. For this reason, we propose the term “geriatric asthma” be preferred to the more generic “asthma in the elderly”

Inhalation therapy in the next decade : Determinants of adherence to treatment in asthma and COPD

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Real-life effects of dupilumab in patients with severe type 2 asthma, according to atopic trait and presence of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

BackgroundThe efficacy of dupilumab as biological treatment of severe asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) depends on its ability to inhibit the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in type 2 inflammation.ObjectiveTo assess in a large sample of subjects with severe asthma, the therapeutic impact of dupilumab in real-life, with regard to positive or negative skin prick test (SPT) and CRSwNP presence or absence.MethodsClinical, functional, and laboratory parameters were measured at baseline and 24 weeks after the first dupilumab administration. Moreover, a comparative evaluation was carried out in relation to the presence or absence of SPT positivity and CRSwNP.ResultsAmong the 127 recruited patients with severe asthma, 90 had positive SPT, while 78 reported CRSwNP. Compared with the 6 months preceding the first dupilumab injection, asthma exacerbations decreased from 4.0 (2.0-5.0) to 0.0 (0.0-0.0) (p < 0.0001), as well as the daily prednisone intake fell from 12.50 mg (0.00-25.00) to 0.00 mg (0.00-0.00) (p < 0.0001). In the same period, asthma control test (ACT) score increased from 14 (10-18) to 22 (20-24) (p < 0.0001), and sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT-22) score dropped from 55.84 ± 20.32 to 19.76 ± 12.76 (p < 0.0001). Moreover, we observed relevant increases in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) from the baseline value of 2.13 L (1.62-2.81) to 2.39 L (1.89-3.06) (p < 0.0001). Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) values decreased from 27.0 ppb (18.0-37.5) to 13.0 ppb (5.0-20.0) (p < 0.0001). These improvements were quite similar in subgroups of patients characterized by SPT negativity or positivity, and CRSwNP absence or presence. No statistically significant correlations were detected between serum IgE levels, baseline blood eosinophils or FeNO levels and dupilumab-induced changes, with the exception of FEV1 increase, which was shown to be positively correlated with FeNO values (r = 0.3147; p < 0.01).ConclusionOur results consolidate the strategic position of dupilumab in its role as an excellent therapeutic option currently available within the context of modern biological treatments of severe asthma and CRSwNP, frequently driven by type 2 airway inflammation

Asthma in the older adult: Presentation, considerations and clinical management

Asthma affects older adults to the same extent as children and adolescents. However, one is led to imagine that asthma prevalence decreases with aging and becomes a rare entity in the elderly. From a clinical perspective, this misconception has nontrivial consequences in that the recognition of the disease is delayed and the treatment postponed. The overall management of asthma in the elderly population is also complicated by specific features that the disease develops in the most advanced ages, and by the difficulties that the physician encounters when approaching the older asthmatic subjects. The current review article aims at describing the specific clinical presentations of asthma in the elderly and highlights the gaps and pitfalls in the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Relevant issues with regard to the clinical management of asthma in the elderly are also discussed

Asthma in the elderly: a different disease?

Key points Asthma in the elderly can be difficult to identify due to modifications of its clinical features and functional characteristics.; Several comorbidities are associated with asthma in the elderly, and this association differs from that observed in younger patients.; In clinical practice, physicians should treat comorbidities that are correlated with asthma (i.e. rhinitis or gastro-oesophageal reflux), assess comorbidities that may influence asthma outcomes (i.e. depression or cognitive impairment) and try to prevent comorbidities related to ­‘drug-associated side-effects (i.e. cataracts, arrhythmias or osteoporosis).; “Geriatric asthma” should be the preferred term because it implies the comprehensive and multidimensional approach to the disease in the older populations, whereas “asthma in the elderly” is only descriptive of the occurrence of the disease in this age range.; Educational aims To present critical issues in performing differential diagnosis of asthma in the elderly.; To offer the instrument to implement the management of asthma in the most advanced ages.; Asthma is a chronic airway disease that affects all ages, but does this definition also include the elderly? Traditionally, asthma has been considered a disease of younger age, but epidemiological studies and clinical experience support the concept that asthma is as prevalent in older age as it is in the young. With the ever-increasing elderly population worldwide, the detection and proper management of the disease in old age may have a great impact from the public health perspective. Whether asthma in the elderly maintains the same characteristics as in young populations is an interesting matter. The diagnostic process in older individuals with suspected asthma follows the same steps, namely a detailed history supported by clinical examination and laboratory investigations; however, it should be recognised that elderly patients may partially lose reversibility of airway obstruction. The correct interpretation of spirometric curves in the elderly should take into account the physiological changes in the respiratory system. Several factors contribute to delaying the diagnosis of asthma in the elderly, including the age-related impairment in perception of breathlessness. The management of asthma in advanced age is complicated by the comorbidities and polypharmacotherapy, which advocate for a comprehensive approach with a multidimensional assessment. It should be emphasised that older age frequently represents an exclusion criterion for eligibility in clinical trials, and current asthma medications have rarely been tested in elderly asthmatics. Ageing is associated with pharmacokinetic changes of the medications. As a consequence, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of antiasthmatic medications can be variably affected. Similarly, drug-to-drug interactions may reduce the effectiveness of inhaled medications and increase the risk of side-effects. For this reason, we propose the term “geriatric asthma” be preferred to the more generic “asthma in the elderly”

Serum surfactant protein D and exhaled nitric oxide as biomarkers of early lung damage in systemic sclerosis

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) complicates the course of systemic sclerosis (SSc), representing the main cause of death in these patients. The identification of parameters that can predict the early onset and progression of ILD in SSc represents an unmet need in clinical practice. The study was designed to explore whether the surfactant proteins (SP) Aand D may be used as noninvasive tools for the early identification of ILD in SSc. Alveolar exhaled nitric oxide (NO) was investigated as a surrogate marker of distal inflammation. METHODS: Unselected consecutive subjects newly diagnosed with scleroderma and subjects free of respiratory and systemic diseases were recruited. All patients underwent clinical, lung functional, radiological and biological assessments. RESULTS: 15 individuals affected by SSc (M/F: 3/12), and 10 healthy subjects (M/F: 3/7) participated to the study. The serum SP-D values were 115.3±81.36 ng/mL in SSc subjects and 32± 11.9 ng/mL in healthy controls (P=0.004). The concentrations of serum SP-A were not statistically different between groups. Serum SP-D inversely correlated with FEV1% predicted (rs=-0.29; P=0.004), FVC% predicted (rs=-0.20; P=0.02) and DLCO% predicted (rs=-0.36; P=0.001). Alveolar NO concentrations were significantly different between SSc and control subjects (6.5±2.9 ppb vs. 2.2±1.3 ppb, respectively; P=0.001), and positively associated with the levels of serum SP-D (r=0.60, P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that, in patients with scleroderma, SP-D and exhaled alveolar NO could represent novel non-invasive markers of early detection and activity of lung involvement

Safety and efficacy of montelukast as adjunctive therapy for treatment of asthma in elderly patients

Asthma is a disease of all ages. This assumption has been challenged in the past, because of several cultural and scientific biases. A large body of evidence has accumulated in recent years to confirm that the prevalence of asthma in the most advanced ages is similar to that in younger ages. Asthma in the elderly may show similar functional and clinical characteristics to that occurring in young adults, although the frequent coexistence of comorbid conditions in older patients, together with age-associated changes in the human lung, may lead to more severe forms of the disease. Management of asthma in the elderly follows specific guidelines that apply to all ages, although most behaviors are pure extrapolation of what has been tested in young ages. In fact, age has always represented an exclusion criterion for eligibility to clinical trials. This review focuses specifically on the safety and efficacy of leukotriene modifiers, which represent a valid option in the treatment of allergic asthma, both as an alternative to first-line drugs and as add-on treatment to inhaled corticosteroids. Available studies specifically addressing the role of montelukast in the elderly are scarce; however, leukotriene modifiers have been demonstrated to be safe in this age group, even though cases of acute hepatitis and occurrence of Churg-Strauss syndrome have been described in elderly patients; whether this is associated with age is to be confirmed. Furthermore, leukotriene modifiers provide additional benefit when added to regular maintenance therapy, not differently from young asthmatics. In elderly patients, the simpler route of administration of leukotriene modifiers, compared with the inhaled agents, could represent a more effective strategy in improving the outcomes of asthma therapy, given that unintentional nonadherence with inhalation therapy represents a complex problem that may lead to significant impairment of asthma symptom control