சுருக்கம்

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and aging.

Muhammad Hassan

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is an obstructive airflow condition in which there is inflammation of the airways. It is one of the chief causes of morbidity and mortality in older age. Age can significantly affect the prognosis and diagnosis of the disease. COPD is mainly being misdiagnosed due to age-related barriers that decrease the sensitivity of the diagnostic tests. Also, the aging group usually has multiple comorbidities to alter the disease and complexity. Hence, rapidly aging populations' epidemiologic criteria need consideration of aging-related changes. The inadequate age-related scoring would result in increased misidentification of COPD and may, in turn, be a basis of misinformation in public health policy and patient care. Both age and COPD are related to variations in body composition, and therefore, it may be difficult to investigate whether the observed body composition changes are age-related or disease related. Despite increased awareness of COPD, there remains extensive under-recognition and under-diagnosis of the disease. Spirometry, CT scans, and MRI can help determine the disease severity and progression but require age-related adjustment of scales. The first step for COPD betterment is the cessation of smoking. However, bronchodilators, anti-inflammatories, and oxygen therapy are the mainstay treatments.