Asthma Increasing in Older Women

Many people think that asthma and other respiratory conditions, not related to smoking, are limited to children and younger individuals. This may have been the case in the past, but recent research indicates that a new group of people is suffering from these conditions. This group is the over 65 years of age female population. It is reported that 40 to 50% of asthma sufferers report their first symptoms after they reach age sixty-five. When I read about this phenomenon, I asked myself, "Why would this group have a higher incidence of respiratory problems?" It appears that the answers lie in three areas.

The first reason appears to be related to cultural behaviors that these women have exhibited throughout their lives. Traditionally, women in that age group have been homemakers, and were not in the workforce, per se. They cooked, cleaned, and did other things that had potentially damaging effects on their respiratory systems. Just think, if a man who works in a factory using chemicals becomes asthmatic or has other respiratory difficulties, we assume that the cause is the chemical exposure. What about a woman? Isn't the chemical exposure from your standard oven cleaner, drain opener, or other household chemicals just as significant? Additionally, the normal housework tasks such as vacuuming and dusting cause potentially damaging particles to be inhaled. It is an interesting fact that the old cliché, "A woman's place is in the home" may be the cause of the increase in respiratory problems.

The second reason is a financial one. Women of this age group, by virtue of their homemaker status, do not have retirement plans, maximum Social Security benefits, etc. that men of this age group do. Since they are more likely to be on a smaller fixed income, they tend to put off health care until a condition becomes severe. Because of this, conditions that were treatable in their early stages become more difficult to manage, and treatment options are limited. It is an unfortunate fact that many older women even with Medicare and other programs cannot afford the health care they require to maintain their physical condition at an acceptable level.

Finally, many older women have other physical problems which have symptoms that mimic respiratory illness, or are taking medication which causes respiratory side effects. For example, many cardiac medications cause shortness of breath and chest tightness. For that matter, many anti-inflammatory medications cause the same type of symptoms. Even a simple aspirin can cause respiratory symptoms in some people. Since these women tend to put off medical care anyway, when they have symptoms, they attribute them to their medication, and therefore do not seek prompt treatment.

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