Asthma treatment failure linked to older age but not gender

The prevalence and clinical features of asthma differ by age, and older patients are at risk of treatment failure. Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine^[1] (online, 11 June 2015) offers further insights into the impact of age and gender on asthma phenotypes and treatment response.

The researchers used the Asthma Clinical Research Network database to identify 1,200 participants in ten clinical trials. Participants aged 30 years and over were nearly twice as likely to experience treatment failure compared with younger participants, and rates increased proportionally with increasing age.

Other predictors of treatment failure included lower lung function, longer duration of asthma and use of controller therapy (inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta-agonists and leukotriene modifiers). Gender was not associated with treatment failure, however.