Fisiopatologia della BPCO in età geriatrica

The importance of chronic airway disease (COPD) in the elderly is due to the evidence that, although the first presentation is in the fourth-fifth decades, the prevalence increases in the sixth decade; this characteristic is more relevant in the industrialized countries. In geriatric patients, the most severe cases with worse quality of life and higher risk of hospitalisation are more common. on the other side, mild degrees of severity with chronic sputum and mild or no obstruction are mis- or under-diagnosed. The aim of this paper is to characterize some aspects of physiology and pathophysiology of COPD in the elderly. We also show the main results of the SARA multicentric study on respiratory health in elderly. This was conducted in Italy with the aims of investigating some aspects of COPD in elderly with reference to muldimensional geriatric evaluation and systemic implications. (the list of participating centers is in appendix).