Kyung Hee University Medical Center said Friday that one out of 10 people over 65 have asthma, although the condition is thought to affect children and adolescents primarily.

Contrary to the broad perception that asthma affects only a younger demographic, studies showed one-third of patients who went to the emergency room for asthma were older than 65 years old.

Kyung Hee University hospital published the data ahead of the Global Initiative for Asthma day on Tuesday.

Although the chronic lung disease affects people of all ages, the hospital noted that the causes of asthma differ for each age group. Asthma in children typically occurs as atopy that arises from house dust mites, pollen, and pets. On the other hand, asthma in the elderly was caused mainly by smoking, air pollution, and declining lung function.

Asthma is mainly characterized by difficulty breathing, wheezing (a whistling sound when breathing), and coughing. The condition should be suspected if a cough lasts longer than a month or if a cold does not get better over time.

Leaving it unattended can lead to worsening symptoms and severe asthma attacks that may require emergency care and be potentially fatal, the hospital said.

“Recently, air pollution from yellow sand and fine dust is getting worse, requiring more care for elderly with asthma,” said Sohn Kyung-hee from KHUMC’s department of respiratory allergy internal medicine.

Older people who have asthma should reduce external activities that could expose them to fine dust or yellow sand and wear a mask when going out, she added while recommending the elderly to get a pneumococcal vaccine every fall.

yjc@docdocdoc.co.kr

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