A nationwide perspective on asthma in older Australians.

ABSTRACT

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW What is the prevalence of impaired lung function among older people in Australia? How can we differentiate between asthma and other causes of breathlessness in population-based health surveys of older people? What are the effects of ageing on people with asthma? WHAT WE NEED TO DO Improve existing survey measures and accuracy of diagnosis. Incorporate measures of spirometric function into health surveys of representative samples of the general population. Use spirometry in the diagnostic work-up of older patients with dyspnoea.