• Ebru Damadoğlu, Özge Öztürk Aktaş, Bilun Gemicioğlu, Nafiye Yilmaz, Fulşen Bozkuş, Vehbi Ayhan, Ayse Füsun Kalpaklioğlu, ErkekolFerda ÖnerFÖ0000-0001-9155-0304Department of Allergy and Immunology, Medicana International Ankara Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye., Yavuz Havlucu, Fuat Erel, Ömür Aydin, Aydanur Ekici, Ayşe Baççioğlu, Serap Argun Bariş, Gözde Köycü Buhari, Berrin Ceyhan, Özlem Göksel, Mehmet Köse, Adile Berna Dursun, Füsun Yildiz, Arzu Yorgancioğlu, Sacide Rana Işik, Dane Ediger, İpek Kıvılcım Oğuzülgen, Ahmet Uğur Demir, Gül Karakaya, and Ali Fuat Kalyoncu.
• Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkiye.
• Turk J Med Sci. 2024 Jan 1; 54 (1): 309315309-315.

Background/AimCharacteristics of asthma in the elderly population is not well-known. The aim of the present study was to evaluate asthma in the elderly population, to compare disease characteristics between patients diagnosed <60 (aged asthma) and ≥60 (elderly asthma) years of age.Materials And MethodsThe study was a prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional type. A questionnaire was filled out to patients 60 years of age and over, that have been followed for asthma for at least 3 months. Asthma Control Test (ACT), eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) was filled out, inhaler device technique was assessed.ResultsA total of 399 patients were included from 17 tertiary care centers across the country. Mean age was 67.11 years and 331 (83%) were female. The age at asthma diagnosis was ≥60 in 146 (36.6%) patients. Patients diagnosed ≥60 years were older (p < 0.001), had higher education level (p < 0.001), more commonly had first-degree relative with asthma (p = 0.038), asthma related comorbidities (p = 0.009) and accompanying rhinitis/rhinosinusitis (p = 0.005), had better asthma control (p = 0.001), were using less controller medications (p = 0.014). Inhaler technique was correct in 37% of the patients with no difference in between the groups. Treatment compliance was better in elderly asthma patients (p < 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, having well-controlled asthma (odds ratio = 1.61, CI = 1.04-2.51), and high medication adherence rate (odds ratio = 2.43, CI = 1.48-4.0) were associated with being in the elderly asthma group.ConclusionThe characteristics of asthma are different among patients aged 60 years and over which seems to be related to onset age of asthma. In our cohort, the elderly asthma patients had higher education level, and treatment adherence and asthma control was better. Patients diagnosed ≥60 years of age did not have more severe disease.© TÜBİTAK.

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