We have made great strides in pulmonary medicine since the days of “consumption” and “the catarrh.” However, with our aging population and advanced diagnostic techniques, we are now seeing an increase in lung disease. It is evident that physicians will be increasingly called upon to evaluate the elderly for a variety of respiratory symptoms. These symptoms carry more significance in the aging population for several reasons.
First, the odds of a symptom representing significant disease increase as one ages. Second, older individuals usually recognize their mortality: they have seen friends, co-workers, and family members develop warning symptoms, receive serious diagnoses, and subsequently die. When confronted with symptomatic elderly patients, the physician should be aware of these patients’ deep concerns about their complaints.
Three complaints represent the great majority of primary care referrals to the pulmonologist for consultation: dyspnea, cough (especially when chronic), and an abnormal chest x-ray. This chapter addresses dyspnea and the chronic cough.
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Dyspnea and Cough
