IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS) e-ISSN: 2320–1959.p- ISSN: 2320–1940 Volume 8, Issue 5 Ser. V. (Sep-Oct .2019), PP 01-15 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/1959-0805050115 www.iosrjournals.org 1 | Page Quality of life Among Elderly People with Bronchial Asthma in Beni-Suef City Maha H. Amin 1 , Sahar A. Shafik 2 , Amal I. Fouad 3 1( Director of nursing at Beni-Suef directorate affiliated to ministry of health, Egypt) 2( Professor of community health nursing, Faculty of Nursing –Hilwan University, Egypt) 3( Assistant professor of community health nursing, Faculty of Nursing. Fayoum University, Egypt) Corresponding Author: Maha H. Amin Abstract: Bronchial asthma in older people is common and is characterized by under diagnosed and under treatment and nursing interventions should focus on improving quality of life of elderly. Aim of the present study is to assess the quality of life among elderly people with bronchial asthma in Beni-Suef city. Design: A descriptive design was used in this study. Setting: Beni-Suef Chest Dispensaries outpatient clinics. Sample: A purposive sample, total number of newly diagnosed cases (162 cases). Tools: 1) structural interviewing questionnaire sheet to assess demographic characteristics, medical history and knowledge of the participants, and quality of life questionnaire sheet, 2) an observational checklist sheet to assess practice of elderly people with bronchial asthma home and environmental. Results: our results demonstrate that less than one quarter had good total knowledge regarding bronchial asthma. Nearly two thirds of elderly patients didn’t correctly practice about bronchial asthma while more than one quarter had correctly done practice about bronchial asthma. Nearly two thirds of older people with asthma affected on their quality of life in physical health, more than two thirds of them affected in their in psychological status, and more than half in the social QOL situation. Conclusion: There was a highly statistically significant correlation between total knowledge and total done practices and quality of life of elderly patients’ ages and educational levels . Recommendations: The current study recommended that continuous education program of elderly people with bronchial asthma about manifestations of asthma and how to deal with it and improvement of home environment of elderly people with bronchial asthma. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 17-09-2019 Date of acceptance: 02-10-2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction The world is ageing. Today, there are about 600 million people aged 60 and over worldwide; this total will double by 2025 and will reach virtually two billion by 2050. The majority of older people will be living in developing countries that are often the least prepared to confront the challenges of rapidly ageing societies. The quality of life for these older patients dramatically alters as they are forced towards often irretrievable physiological and psychological decline (WHO, 2018). Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in the world and the most common non-communicable disease among elderly; according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global burden of disease study and the global asthma report 2014, asthma affects an estimated 334 million people worldwide. The prevalence of asthma has been reported to range from 1 to 18 % of the population in different countries (Brooks, et al, 2017). In recent decades, both asthma prevalence and incidence have been increasing worldwide, not only due to the genetic background, but mainly because of the effect of a wide number of environmental and lifestyle risk factors. In many countries non-communicable diseases, like asthma, are not yet considered a healthcare priority (Aydin, et al, 2015). About 13% of the U.S. population is older than 65 years of age and this percentage is expected to double by the year 2050. About 7% of individuals 65 years old and older have asthma. However, little is known about asthma in these cases as few asthma studies have examined this target group. Elderly people with asthma are more likely to be underdiagnosed, undertreated, and hospitalized when compared with younger adults affected by this condition (England and Wales, 2017). Bronchial asthma affects a significant proportion of elderly people, but unfortunately, it is responsible for a high asthma-related morbidity and mortality in this population. This may be related not only to the development of a more severe asthma phenotype compared to younger cases, with more marked airway obstruction and a more neutrophilic type of airway inflammation, but also to the presence of many co-morbid conditions. Furthermore, in older people, asthma is often under-diagnosed, undertreated and poorly managed.