Description of senior citizens with a diagnosis of bronchial asthma

• Main Authors: Yamilet Santos-Herrera, Alfredo Enrique Arredondo-Bruce, Alfredo Arredondo-Rubido
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Las Tunas 2017-12-01
• Series: Revista Electrónica Dr. Zoilo E. Marinello Vidaurreta
• Subjects: asthma; pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; aged
• Online Access: http://revzoilomarinello.sld.cu/index.php/zmv/article/view/1142

<p><strong>Background</strong>: asthma in the elderly is difficult to be diagnosed, due to the poor perception of air flow limitation, the acceptance of dyspnea as something common at an advanced age, diminished shape and physical activity, as well as the presence of comorbidities with other diseases or associated risk factors.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Objective</strong>: to describe the elderly patients with a diagnosis of bronchial asthma, attended to at the "Amalia Simoni" Provincial Medico-Chirurgical Hospital of Camagüey, during 2016.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Methods</strong>: a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out with a sample of 62 senior citizens of the 60 to 79 age group, with a clinical and spirometric diagnosis of bronchial asthma, who visited the pulmonology and internal medicine departments of the aforementioned hospital and during the period herein declared.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results</strong>: there was a prevalence of elderly patients of 60-69 years old (67,7 %) and of the female sex (61,3 %). There was a high index of radiological, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic alterations, coinciding with the frequency of other diseases with bronchial asthma in this population group. The comorbidities that predominated were smoking (93,5 %), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (74,2 %), heart failure (72,6 %), hypertension (61,3 %) and diabetes mellitus (56 %).<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: the study described the sample of senior citizens diagnosed with bronchial asthma.<strong></strong></p>