A Study on Chronic Obstructive Diseases of the Lung in Rural Village
1974 Volume 23 Issue 2 Pages 77-86
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1974 Volume 23 Issue 2 Pages 77-86
In this article, an attempt was made to epidemiologically study chronic obstructive diseases of the lung, particularly chronic bronchitis, in Yachiho, a rural village in Nagano Prefecture.
The findings reveal that the incidence of chronic bronchitis among inhabitants from 40 to 69 years of age stands at 9.8% for males and 5.7% for females.This incidence is lower than in air-polluted areas but higher than in the non-polluted areas in Japan.
The cause to this phenomenon is presumably attributable to the influences of threshing work in paddy fields.
The repeated recurrence of Dakkoku Kikanshien (bronchitis for which threshing is responsible) once in a year is associated to a great extent with incidence of chronic bronchitis or its deterioration. Another conceivable factor is the inadequacy of household facillities against the cold weather in this village.
