抄録
Today most people recognize some relation between air pollution and prevalence of chronic bronchitis. However, as reports on prognosis of chronic bronchitis is still very poor, it is regarded as a mild case which annoys people merely with cough and sputum.
Here, we would like to discuss on the prognosis of chronic bronchitis and clarify actual effect of air pollution on human health, i. e. actual character of the prevalence of chronic bronchitis, which, we are afraid, seems to be made light of unjusty.
General population, 39, 207 over 40 years old, were taken as the objective for this investigation. These 39, 207 were idntical to those for the epidemiological study of chronic bronchitis (1962-1964) including Japanese version of standard questionnaire of British Medical Reaserch Council's Committee, Chest-X ray examination and respiratory function test.
The result obtained is as follows:
Death rate in the chronic bronchitis group is higher than the control group having neither cough nor sputum.
Difference between the above two death rate is remarkable in old age. and the observing time advanced.
Age adjusted death rate of respiratory disese including cor-pulmonale and emphysema in chronic bronchitis group is approximary five times greater than the death rate in the group having no cough and sputum.
