LOWER RESPIRATORY-TRACT INFECTIONS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA

Asthma continues to be a significant disorder for the geriatric popula tion. Although aging and asthma itself may predispose individuals to m ore severe and protracted infections, the organisms and course of infe ctions in elderly individuals are more dependent upon associated comor bidities and overall physiologic health, rather than any age of asthma -associated immune deficiencies. Except for the recent association wit h Chlamydia pneumoniae, and the known association with ABPA, the cause s of pneumonia in the elderly asthmatic are similar to those occurring in nonasthmatic elderly. This article reviews the effects of aging, n utrition, and asthma on the host immune system, and the role of infect ion in the pathogenesis and exacerbations of asthma. Additionally, the authors review admission decision analysis in the elderly, concluding with preventive and therapeutic strategies for the elderly patient wi th pneumonia.