Occupational therapy, degree of disability and quality of life in COPD inpatients undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation programs

Asthma in the Elderly: Risk Factors and Mortality Rate

Distribution and lower limit of normal of computed tomography (CT) density in non emphysematous senile lungs

Prognostic significance of surrogate measures for FVC in an elderly population

Applicability of the asthma control test (ACT) in elderly asthmatics

Should atopy be assessed in elderly patients with respiratory symptoms suggestive of asthma?

Aging is associated with modifications of the immune system and this could contribute to a reduced prevalence of allergic disease in the elderly. Atopy has rarely been considered in the clinical assessment of the geriatric respiratory patient. This article is a review of the available literature assessing the impact of age on atopy in the asthmatic patient. In the majority of papers, we found a lower prevalence of atopy in the most advanced ages, both in healthy subjects and in individuals affected by allergic respiratory diseases. No large, longitudinal studies performed in the general population have been conducted to confirm this observation. Although available data seem to favor the dec…

La spirometria nell'anziano

Month of birth and allergic sensitization in the Mediterranean area of southern Italy

Asthma and menopause

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Validation of lung densitometry threshold at CT for the distinction between senile lung and emphysema in elderly subjects

Background and Aims. An ageing lung is characterised by distal airspace enlargement without alveolar wall destruction: therefore the anatomical distinction between senile lung and emphysema is clear-cut. In clinical settings the definition of precise boundaries between normalcy and pathology is more difficult with the risk of overdiagnosis. CT is an important diagnostic advancement in the field of COPD. Most methods for the evaluation of emphysema are based on the detection and measurement of areas characterised by a density level below a threshold assumed to characterize parenchymal destruction. Methods. Our retrospective study included 47 healthy subjects (65-91 years), 36 never smokers a…

L’iperreattività bronchiale e la BPCO nel paziente anziano

Criteri spirometrici per la diagnosi di bronco-ostruzione in soggetti anziani

FEV1/FEV6 and FEV6: sensitivity and specificity in detecting obstructive and restrictive disease of older patients

Is quality of life related to upper and lower airways associated with inflammation?

The mini nutritional assessment (MNA) and the perception of dyspnea in elderly subjects with COPD. The MINUTRA project

Prognostic value of FEV1/FEV6 in elderly people*

Summary Background:  The ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced expiratory volume in 6 s (FEV1/FEV6) has been proposed as an alternative for FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) to diagnose obstructive diseases with less effort during spirometry; however, its prognostic value is unknown. We evaluated whether FEV1/FEV6 is a significant predictor of mortality in elderly subjects and compared its prognostic value with that of FEV1/FVC and FEV1. Methods:  One thousand nine hundred and seventy-one subjects, aged >65 years, participated in the population-based SA.R.A. study. During the baseline exam, a multidimensional assessment included spirometry. Vital status was determined during 6 …

Le cure palliative nel paziente anziano con broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva

L'applicabilità del test per il controllo dell'asma (ACT) negli asmatici anziani: osservazioni preliminari

Validation of FEV6 in the elderly: correlates of performance and repeatability.

BACKGROUND: Forced expiratory volume in 6 s (FEV6) has been proposed as a more easily measurable parameter than forced vital capacity (FVC) to diagnose airway disease using spirometry. A study was undertaken to estimate FEV6 repeatability, to identify correlates of a good quality FEV6 measurement and of volumetric differences between FEV6 and FVC in elderly patients. METHODS: 1531 subjects aged 65-100 years enrolled in the SA.R.A project (a cross-sectional multicentre non-interventional study) were examined. FEV6 was measured on volume-time curves that achieved satisfactory start-of-test and end-of-test criteria. Correlates of FEV6 achievement were assessed by logistic regression. RESULTS: …

Prognostic value of FEV1/FEV6 in elderly people

The impact of age on prevalence of positive skin prick tests and specific IgE tests

SummaryAging is associated with modifications of the immune system, defined as immunosenescence. This could contribute to a reduced prevalence of allergic disease in the elderly population. In this regard, atopy has rarely been considered in the clinical assessment of the geriatric respiratory patient. This article is a review of the available literature assessing the impact of age on atopy. In the majority of papers, we found a lower prevalence of atopy in the most advanced ages, both in healthy subjects and in individuals affected by allergic respiratory diseases. Unfortunately, no large, longitudinal studies performed in the general population have been conducted to further explore this …

Factors affecting the measurement of FVC in the elderly