ABSTRACT
Allergies and asthma are diseases that affect individuals of all ages, and their prevalence is comparable in all age groups. As age demographics in the United States and other countries shift to greater proportions and numbers of patients in the “elderly” categories, it is becoming increasingly important for clinicians to become aware of the impact of aging on a variety of diseases. Allergy and asthma are recognized as inflammatory disorders, and there are data demonstrating that age-related changes in immune function can have a significant impact on these disorders.
KEYWORDS
Asthma - allergies - elderly - aging
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Sameer K MathurM.D. Ph.D.
Department of Medicine, Section of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, K4/952 CSC, 600 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53792
Email: sm4@medicine.wisc.edu