Undiagnosed Asthma
What You Should Know About Undiagnosed Asthma
The number of cases of undiagnosed asthma is strikingly higher than most people image. Random tests, taken at different places and on different age groups almost always uncover several cases of undiagnosed asthma, even if a relatively small number of people are tested. Tests such as this, which primarily involve exercising, usually running, followed by forced expiratory volume (FEV) measurements, uncover many instances of asthmatic conditions the affected individuals may not have been fully aware of, or simply considered themselves to "being a little out of shape". FEV measurements involve blowing in to a container, often an enclosed cylinder, with a plate which is forced upwards as air is blown in. The higher the plate moves, the greater is the lung capacity is of the person being tested.
While such a test can uncover a case of undiagnosed asthma, it can sometimes lead to a misdiagnoses, as a person's condition may not due to be asthma at all, but could be chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic bronchitis. When tests are positive, that is to say there is a definite lack of expiratory volume, further testing will generally be needed to isolate the problem. This type of test however is one way in which undiagnosed asthma in young people is often uncovered.
Not Just A Children's Disease - It's a slightly different story with older adults and especially with the elderly. Adults often tend to think of asthma as a children's disease or disorder, and consequently exhibit a "can't happen to me" attitude. The elderly are often apt to consider asthmatic symptoms as just another sign that they are slowly falling apart, and since that is part of life at an advanced age, there is nothing that needs to be done about it. Consequently many older adults are walking around today with undiagnosed asthma.
Seniors Are Susceptible - People over 65 need to be especially vigilant, as adult-onset asthma can strike them very hard. More older people die of the disease than younger people do. Women over 65 are more prone to asthmatic attacks than are men, though no one seems to know why. One theory is that hormonal changes after menopause may have something to do with it, which can make sense if immune and hormone systems come into play.
Seniors who have heart problems or are more subject to upper respiratory problems tend to be more susceptible to asthma. One problem here is that the symptoms often become blurred, and it can be difficult at times to determine which symptoms may be due to an undiagnosed asthma condition and which are not. Older adults and seniors generally do not have the allergies which often bring on asthma attacks in younger people. Adults often contract asthma through the environmental conditions they find themselves in, rather than from food or skin allergies. Chemicals in the workplace, working around animals, or spending time in a place where particles are in the air, such as flour in a cooking area or kitchen, can all contribute to an asthmatic condition.
Viral infections can sometime trigger an asthmatic condition in adults, as can stress. Being overweight is another possibility, though the existence of a link between obesity and asthma has never been fully verified.
Summary - In any event, it would be wise for people of all ages to be subjected to testing for a possible asthmatic condition, as this could save many people a measure of grief at some point in the future. It is particularly important that senior citizens be tested, which could be done as part of an annual checkup, just to ensure that “problems” being encountered are not just a part of the aging process.