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Query: UMLS:C0149514 (bronchitis)
 6,902 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Men who do not drink are frequently used as a baseline against which the effects of alcohol consumption are measured. The characteristics of such men have been examined in a large-scale prospective study of cardiovascular disease involving 7735 middle-aged men drawn from general practices in 24 British towns. Non-drinkers include lifelong teetotallers and ex-drinkers, both long-term and recent. Long-term ex-drinkers have many characteristics likely to increase their morbidity and mortality; recent ex-drinkers have similar characteristics but to a less marked degree. Ex-drinkers are older than the other groups and include an increased proportion of unmarried men and men in manual occupations. They have the same high percentage of current cigarette smokers as moderate/heavy drinkers and a prevalence of hypertension and obesity similar to moderate/heavy drinkers and higher than lifelong teetotallers or occasional/light drinkers. Ex-drinkers have the highest percentage of men with multiple doctor-diagnosed disorders. In particular, they have the highest prevalence rates of angina and possible myocardial infarction on standardized questionnaire, of myocardial infarction on electrocardiogram and of recall of a doctor-diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease. They also have high prevalence rates of recall of high blood pressure, peptic ulcer, diabetes, gall bladder disease and bronchitis. They have the highest rates for regular medical treatment and the highest proportion of men who consider their health to be poor. It is abundantly clear that the general category of non-drinkers, which includes a large proportion of ex-drinkers, should not be used as a baseline against which to measure the effects of alcohol consumption. Overall, it would appear that the occasional/light drinking category (less than 15 drinks/week) provides a large and satisfactory baseline group for comparative purposes in the study of cardiovascular and other organic disorders.
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PMID:Men who do not drink: a report from the British Regional Heart Study. 340 25

Predictors of obstructive airways disease (OAD) have been identified, and models for estimating risk of developing OAD have been derived for the adult population of Tecumseh. Men and women 16 to 64 yr of age when first studied were reexamined after an average interval of 15 yr. Incidence rates of OAD increased with age and were higher in men than in women more than 45 yr of age. Incidence rates were significantly higher in men and women with low degrees of lung function initially, and in cigarette smokers, especially those who continued to smoke. Other risk factors included a physician's diagnosis of chronic bronchitis, or asthma, a history of cough, wheeze, shortness of breath, frequent upper or lower respiratory tract infections, bronchitis or pneumonia, leanness, and familial chronic bronchitis. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified combinations of risk factors that placed 70% of the male and 73% of the female incidence cases in the top 10% of the risk distribution. The excess risk of obstructive airways disease associated with cigarette smoking and reduced lung function and the benefits of stopping smoking are clearly apparent. For example, the risk of developing obstructive airways disease in the next 15 years is about 1 in 200 for a 45-yr-old male nonsmoker whose Vmax50 equals to 100% of predicted, if he doesn't take up smoking. The risk for a man of the same age who smokes 40 cigarettes a day and whose Vmax50 equals 80% of predicted is 1 in 5 or 6 if he doesn't cut down on his smoking and about 1 in 15 if he stops smoking.
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PMID:An index of risk for obstructive airways disease. 706 15

In this article we consider the relationship between asthma mortality rates, obtained from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), and the doses of all antiasthmatic drugs except systemic steroids sold in Italy in the years 1974-1988. The total asthma mortality rate showed three different trends: it decreased slowly until 1978 (period A); increased 10-fold from 1979 to 1985, rising from 0.30 to 4.17/100,000 (period B); and remained stable until 1988 (period C). More than half of the deaths in 1988 occurred in people 75 years of age or more. Men died more in the older age groups, while the mortality of women prevailed in the 35- to 54-year age group. In the 5- to 34-year age group the rate rose from 0.01 in 1978 to 0.21 /100,000 in 1986. Coding changes due to the 9th revision of the International Classification of Disease, adopted in Italy in 1979, probably increased the number of deaths being attributed to asthma in case of contemporary mention of bronchitis, a common diagnosis in older men, which showed the greatest increase in mortality. Increased prevalence and awareness of asthma may also have played a role. Although international comparisons strongly suggest undertreatment of asthma in Italy, the doses of anti-asthma drugs sold in Italy grew from 276 to 1,080 million from 1974 to 1985. During period B xanthine sales rose sevenfold and grew from 6.5 to 23.3% of the total doses, along with a twofold increase in beta 2-agonist and cromolyn sales. Period C was characterized by stable total doses (1155 million in 1988), with increases only in antiinflammatory and preventive drug sales. The increase in asthma deaths in Italy has been striking despite the contemporary rise in sales of all antiasthma drugs, particularly of beta 2-agonist metered aerosols and xanthine tablets. The increase in antiinflammatory and preventive drug sales may have contributed to the stabilization of asthma deaths during period C.
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PMID:Deaths from asthma in Italy (1974-1988): is there a relationship with changing pharmacological approaches? 897 Apr 98

As part of a broader study of aging and health conditions in rural India, 267 persons over 60 years old from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi district were interviewed in 1990. Overall, 37% of men and 70% of women rated their health condition as "bad." The incidence of illness after age 60 years was 77% among women and 61% among men. Most common were chest problems such as asthma, tuberculosis, and bronchitis. The percentage of unhealthy persons was slightly lower among illiterates and those with a university education than men and women with primary or middle school educational levels. These educational differences are presumed to reflect class-based occupational histories. In general, those with middle levels of education were employed in household industry or businesses with high exposure to disease. Men and women with unsatisfactory, conflictual family relationships also experienced increased health problems. Although respondents expressed the view that the shift from joint to nuclear family systems has lowered the status of the elderly, 62% maintained they did not need any further support from their families. A demand for some type of old age pension from the government was proposed, however. These findings suggest a need for increased social responsibility for the health and well-being of India's aging population.
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PMID:A study of aged population and associated health risks in rural India. 927 97