Abstract
Introduction:
Pneumopathies are defined as a group of respiratory diseases. Physiotherapy centers are a conventional treatment option which can help prevent and treat various pulmonary conditions.
Objective:
To characterize elderly persons with pneumopathies admitted for pulmonary rehabilitation.
Methods:
84 elderly persons were admitted for pulmonary rehabilitation. Patients diagnosed with pulmonary disease and aged ≥60 years were included in the study. The following variables were analyzed: gender, age, marital status, profession, medical diagnosis, main medical complaint, associated diseases, and cardiovascular risk factors.
Results:
The most common lung disease is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (26.2%). Women showed a greater association with asthma [odds ratio (OR)=5.875; p=0.010]. Dyspnea was the most prevalent main complaint among this population (50%). Among the main complaints, difficulty walking was more associated with men (OR=2.85; p=0.055). Strokes were the main disease most commonly associated with pneumopathies (12.1%). Women had a greater association with other diseases (OR=5.34, p=0.068), especially when two diseases were presented simultaneously with lung disease (OR=2.32, p=0.041). Among the risk factors, physical inactivity (OR=3.33), alcohol consumption (OR=0.046) and history of smoking (OR=3.00) were significantly associated with men, while depression (OR=5.67) was significantly associated with women. Women exhibited a 3.28 greater association between allergies and pneumopathies than men (p=0.013). The practice of physical activity was more associated with women (OR=3.89; p=0.03). Osteoporosis was more prevalent among elderly women with pulmonary disease (OR=10.75; p<0.0001), and was also significantly associated with a history of smoking (OR=4.31; p=0.009).
Conclusion:
The most frequent diagnosis, main complaint and associated disease were COPD, dyspnea and strokes, respectively. Elderly woman exhibited a greater association with the diagnosis of bronchial asthma, and more diseases associated with lung disease. Physical inactivity, difficulty walking, and a history of alcohol consumption and smoking are more associated with men, while depression, the presence of allergies, regular physical activity and osteoporosis are more associated with women. Thus, the results demonstrate that these individuals have specific characteristics.
Key words:
Health Profile; Lung Diseases; Epidemiology.
