Epidemiology of asthma in the elderly

According to the US Department of Commerce report [1] the average age of the world's population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The number of people worldwide 65 and older is estimated at 506 million as of midyear 2008; by 2040, that number will hit 1.3 billion; thus, in just over 30 years, the proportion of older people will double from 7% to 14% of the total world population [1]. Although the highest proportions of older persons are found in the more developed regions, this age group is growing more rapidly in the less developed regions. As a consequence, the older population will be increasingly concentrated in the less-developed regions. As people live longer, the quality of such longer life becomes a central issue for both personal and social well-being. Chronic non-communicable disease are now the major cause of death among older people in both developed and developing countries and they already account for more than 87% of the burden for the 60 years or older population [1]. According to World Health Organization (WHO) [2], about 300 millions people worldwide suffer from asthma (prevalence varies highly from 1 to 18%) and it causes a mortality of 250,000 cases every year. The ERS-ELF (European Respiratory Society-European Lung Foundation) White Book reports that there are over 100 million patients suffered from asthma in Europe with a prevalence rate ranging from 1% (in Russia) to 10% (in the UK) [3].