Asthma is generally recognized as a disease of children and adolescents. However, in recent years, the number of asthma patients over the age of 60 has increased significantly. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), the proportion of elderly people in their 60s or older among all domestic asthma patients was 28.2% in 2017, a 5% increase from 2013 (23.5%) five years ago. . Experts pointed out an aging society and air pollution such as fine dust as the causes of the increase in asthma in the elderly.
Asthma, a chronic disease, is very important to manage｜Source: Getty Image Bank
Elderly asthma, difficult to manage
Asthma is a disease caused by an allergic inflammatory response of the bronchi. The main symptoms include wheezing and crackling wheezing when breathing, severe coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. In particular, in the case of wheezing, when the symptoms get worse, the sound becomes loud enough to be noticed by not only the person but also those around them. If it is accompanied by shortness of breath, it means that your asthma has suddenly worsened. This is called an asthma attack, and not only does it become difficult to breathe, but it can cause you to not breathe at all. In this case, you should go to the emergency room immediately. “Asthma attacks can lead to very serious, life-threatening conditions,” said Dr. Jin Seong-lim, a family medicine specialist at Haidak, and emphasized that “asthma patients need active treatment and steady symptom management.” did.
Asthma is a chronic disease and a representative foreign sensitive disease. It is chronic and has many recurrences, but it means that symptoms can be prevented from worsening if they are managed and treated consistently. However, there is a lack of awareness in Korea that asthma is a chronic disease that requires constant management. In particular, in the case of the elderly, along with this lack of awareness, their social and economic position is relatively low compared to younger asthma patients, so they cannot receive timely treatment and even have difficulty managing symptoms properly, resulting in low asthma control rates and high asthma morbidity and mortality.
According to a study published by the Department of Allergy at Ajou University in 2012, more than one-third of elderly asthmatics in Korea do not manage their asthma well, including rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea. The incidence of various co-morbidities such as depression and anxiety is very high. Asthmatic comorbidities cause exacerbation and acute exacerbation of respiratory symptoms, and seriously degrade the patient’s quality of life.
If you have asthma, you should consult with your healthcare professional about wearing a mask.
If you are an elderly asthma patient, you need to be more thorough in managing your symptoms in a cold and fine dusty time like these days. Particular attention should be paid to wearing a mask. For patients with well-controlled symptoms, masks serve to protect the bronchi and respiratory tract from cold, dry air and air pollution. However, if a patient with severe symptoms wears the mask incorrectly, it interferes with breathing, causing difficulty in breathing, dizziness, headache, and hypoxia. Therefore, it is important for asthma patients to fully consult with a specialist on whether or not to wear a mask.
On days when the concentration of fine dust in the air is high, it is better to refrain from going out as much as possible. This is because fine dust contains various chemical substances and pollutants that adversely affect bronchial and respiratory health. In addition, it is important to wash your hands and feet thoroughly after going out.
Help = Haidaq Counseling Doctor Jin Seong-lim (specialist in family medicine at Goun Breath Clinic)
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