C. Nejjari et al., FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE TREATED FOR ASTHMA-RELATED SYMPTOMS - A POPULATION-BASED CASE-CONTROL STUDY, The European respiratory journal, 7(6), 1994, pp. 1077-1083
There are few data on the disability caused by asthma in elderly subje
cts. The aim of this survey was to assess the functional status of a p
opulation aged 65 years or more, being treated for asthma-related symp
toms. A representative sample of 3,777 elderly people, living at home
in the SouthWest of France, was surveyed using a standardized question
naire on factors of ageing and their consequences. To assess the funct
ional status, five scales were used: Activities of Daily Living (ADL);
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL); Rosow and Breslau sca
le; Mobility; and a Subjective Health Scale. Patients treated for asth
ma-related symptoms were identified by means of their use of the anti-
asthma drugs mentioned in the questionnaire. In a second stage, the pr
esence of asthma-related symptoms was further established by enquiring
from their general practitioners and by direct questioning of the pat
ients. Among 135 subjects taking anti-asthma drugs, 83 (61%) had posit
ive responses to specific questions, either from their doctors or from
themselves, allowing them to be identified as ''asthmatic''. In compa
rison with a control group matched for age and sex (n=166; two control
s for each patient), asthmatic patients had a higher dependence in the
IADL scale, a greater self-assessment of poor health, and a greater h
andicap in mobility. However, they had the same level of ADL disabilit
y as controls. Despite adjustment for residential area, depressive sym
ptoms, Mini Mental Status (MMS) Exam score, visual and auditory impair
ment, and joint pain, patients treated for asthma still had a higher r
isk of disability in daily life, and a poorer subjective health than c
ontrols. Dyspnoea appears to be the main factor of disability in subje
cts treated for asthma. In conclusion, these data indicate the poor fu
nctional status of subjects treated for active asthma. This appears, f
or a large part, to be the consequence of their dyspnoea.