BREATHLESSNESS IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS IS RELATED TO LOW LUNG-FUNCTIONAND REVERSIBILITY OF AIRWAY-OBSTRUCTION

The perception of breathlessness is a subject-related factor which is linked to respiratory disease, cardiac disease and overweight, We stud ied the distribution of breathlessness, its association with respirato ry disease, cardiac disease and overweight, as well as its association with lung function, reversibility of airway obstruction (''reversibil ity'') and peak expiratory how (PEF) variability in an elderly populat ion. Data on breathlessness (rated with Borg scale), lung function, re versibility, PEF variability, respiratory symptoms, cardiac disease an d overweight were collected in a random sample of 210 elderly (>55 yrs old) who participated in a physical fitness test, Individuals with a Borg score >0 were taken to have breathlessness. Subjects with a Borg score >0 (n=50, 24%) were three to five times more likely to have a lo w lung function and large reversibility than subjects with a Borg scor e of zero, independent of the presence of respiratory symptoms, cardia c disease or overweight, although these three factors were all associa ted with low lung function and a large reversibility and PEF variabili ty, Reversibility was not associated with PEF variability whatsoever. In elderly individuals, breathlessness is frequently present. Assessme nt of breathlessness using the Borg-scale seems an important clinical measurement, because it is an important independent predictor of lung function impairment in the elderly.