Older asthmatics face increased cancer risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study shows that older people with asthma are more likely to develop cancer and other conditions.
Previous research has suggested that people with asthma and allergy are less likely to develop cancer, but researchers at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, now suggest the opposite. They looked at a group of 7,619 adults, of whom 834 had diagnosed asthma.

The study showed that those who did have asthma were twice as likely to suffer from other chronic diseases, the most likely being heart disease and stroke. For those over 55, cancer was more likely as well. Arthritis was also more likely in the 35 to 54 age group when asthma was present. The researchers suggest that asthma may limit physical activity which may lead to weight gain, increasing the risk of these co-existing medical conditions. Certainly, in this study, those with asthma were more likely to record impairment to work or other activities and decreased quality of life. The other chronic conditions someone may suffer from should be taken into account when devising an asthma management plan. Indeed, good management may prevent the other conditions from developing.

Source
Chest February 2006

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