Journal Article

Most Italians attending a congress on health of elderly people do not know and do not recognize respiratory diseases

Sanguinetti, Claudio M., Ciancio, Nicola, Falcone, Franco, Resta, Onofrio, Taranto, Claudio, Di Maria, Giuseppe, De Benedetto, Fernando, De Michele, Fausto, Rossi, Andrea, Nardini, Stefano, Fasani, Roberto, Messina, Roberto

2016

Overview

Background The present study reports the results of a survey jointly carried out by three Italian respiratory scientific associations (AIMAR, AIPO, SIMeR) together with an important Federation of elderly patients (FederAnziani) during the National Conference of Italian Court for Health Right held in Rimini from November 29 th to December 1 st , 2013. The survey, based on a spirometric examination preceded by a questionnaire on respiratory health, was conducted on elderly people coming from all Italian regions to attend the Conference. Methods Nine hundred forty-nine subjects (574 females and 375 males), mean age 66.2 ± 10.1 years, were interviewed and performed spirometric examination. There were 137 smokers (14.4 %). Mean value of Body Mass Index (BMI) was significantly higher in males (27.6 ± 6.6) than in females (26.3 ± 4.3). Results 17.1 % ( N  = 143) of the studied subjects reported to be suffering from respiratory disease and the prevalent illnesses were asthma (31.5 %) and COPD/emphysema (24.5 %), but only 3.3 % of the whole surveyed group was able to identify COPD as a pulmonary disease, however without knowing its characteristics, while these were known by 0.5 % of the interviewed subjects only. A high number of subjects, 22 % of whom were smokers, declared chronic sputum production. 10.2 % of the study group showed an obstructive defect at spirometry when the criterium of lower limit of the normal (LLN) was considered, whereas it was 12.4 % if the fixed limit of 0.70 was chosen. 64 % of the obstructed people thought they did not have any respiratory disease. Conclusions The results of this survey, able to spread the knowledge of respiratory diseases and spirometry in a wide sample of subjects for the most part scarcely aware of them, emphasize the need for a greater divulgation of respiratory issues among the general population.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,PAGEPress Publications
• Subject: Asthma / Conferences and conventions / Conferences, meetings and seminars / Critical Care Medicine / Development and progression / Disease transmission / Intensive / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Original / Original Research Article / Pneumology/Respiratory System / Surveys / Thoracic Surgery