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In an attempt to identify patterns of symptoms which might predict treatable airways
obstruction in the elderly, we measured respiratory function and airways lability
in 296 men and women aged 65 and over. Subjects were selected to represent eight symptom
groups as ascertained in a postal survey of patients randomly selected from three
general practice lists. Airways obstruction was strongly associated with smoking,
but bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine and reversibility of airways obstruction
with salbutamol (measured when hyperresponsiveness could not be assessed) were not.
There was evidence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness or salbutamol reversibility in
37% of symptomatic non-smokers. This points to a substantial component of obstructive
lung disease in the elderly that is characterized by labile airways and unrelated
to smoking. Symptoms of the ‘bronchial irritability syndrome’ were more strongly associated
with airways lability than other symptoms, but their predictive value for airways
lability (32%) was much lower than has been reported in younger adults.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
July 4,
1991
Received:
November 15,
1990
Identification
Copyright
© 1992 Baillière Tindall All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Inc.
