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Respiratory symptoms among elderly people in the New Forest area as assessed by postal questionnaire.
- Source :
-
Age & Ageing . Sep91, Vol. 20 Issue 5, p325-331. 7p. - Publication Year :
- 1991
-
Abstract
- This study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among people aged 65 years and older and assess the value of a postal survey in obtaining this information. A questionnaire was sent to 2011 subjects (957 men) drawn by age-stratified random sampling from the age-sex registers of four New Forest group practices (1:3.3 sample). A total of 1803 replied, a 96.2% response after excluding 136 who had died or moved from the area. The accuracy of replies was verified for 355 (20%) randomly selected subjects. Forty per cent had no respiratory symptoms. Exertional breathlessness was common (38%), increasing in prevalence with age but not with smoking history, and was the only symptom reported by 10% of subjects. Only 14.2% were current smokers; more of the subjects aged 85 years and over were lifelong non-smokers. Two hundred and ninety-six (16.4%) had chronic bronchitis, which was more common among smokers; 151 (8.4%) gave a history of asthma, of whom half (76) had active asthma, which was slightly less common among the very elderly subjects. Only 489 (27.1%) of subjects had seen their doctors with chest symptoms during the preceding 2 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00020729
- Volume :
- 20
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Age & Ageing
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 104746702
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/ageing/20.5.325