Two Cases of Asthma in Handicapped Elderly Persons in Which Assisted Inhalation Therapy Was Effective

Abstract

Background: Chronic airway inflammation is a basic pathology of bronchial asthma and it is important to control the inflammation by anti-inflammatory therapy mainly with steroids. However, in asthma in the elderly, there are cases where physicians hesitate to introduce the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy based on the diagnosis that the use of inhalants is difficult due to the existence of a functional lesion accompanying asthma. Methods & Results: In cases where self-administrated inhalation therapy is difficult to execute due to the accompaniment of a functional lesion and in cases where sufficient curative effects of steroids are not produced in self-inhalation, administration of assisted inhalation resulted in improvement of clinical symptoms and pulmonary function and was proven effective. Conclusions: Assisted inhalation therapy is expected to be useful in general and also in terms of expanding the application of ICS in the asthma in the elderly.

Keywords

• assistance
• bronchial asthma
• elderly persons
• handicapped persons
• inhaled corticosteroid