Aging and Lung Disease

This new edition offers a clinical guide for caring for aging patients with lung disease. Persons over the age of 65 remain the fastest growing segment of the population. According to the 2020 Census, 55.8 million people in the United States were aged 65 or older. This number is expected to increase to 66 million by the year 2050. This accounts for 16.8% of the total population and was an increase of 38.6% from 2010. There are many pulmonary conditions among the current leading causes of death in older persons, including lung cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and infections such as influenza, COVID-19, and bacterial pneumonia. With limited numbers of geriatricians caring for older persons, this will be the purview of all physicians. Since the first edition, there have been advancements in many aspects of caring for older patients with lung disease. This book presents a complete update of the field. Chapters now cover topics such as immune senescence and the lung microbiome. There have additionally been major advances in diagnosis and available treatments for patients with lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, COPD, and pulmonary hypertension. The importance of palliative care and cognitive health for aging patients are also carefully considered in this new edition. This is an ideal guide for all pulmonary medicine professionals.