Comorbidities in elderly patients with asthma: Association with control of the disease and concomitant treatment

Aim The incidence of concomitant conditions increases with age. In elderly patients, the presence of comorbidities has been related to the course and severity of asthma. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of comorbidities and concomitant treatment on asthma control and severity in older adults. Methods A total of 93 elderly (age >65 years) and 78 younger (age 30–50 years) asthmatic patients were randomly selected from a database including 1755 asthmatics. Evaluation consisted of a questionnaire, spirometry and skin prick testing. Results In elderly asthmatics, a higher incidence of chronic comorbidities (mean 8.4 vs 4.7; P