[Reevaluation of work disability in chronic bronchitis and functional criteria at rest]. / Reevaluacija gubitka radne sposobnosti kronicnih bronhiticara i funkcijski kriteriji u mirovanju.

As part of an investigation to reassess disability which was performed in 579 subjects with an internist's diagnosis, disability was reassessed in 68 males with chronic bronchitis as the main diagnosis. Disability reassessment was carried out by an informal team of physicians consisting of pulmologists and members of a second degree disability board. The aim of the study was to define the differences between disability reevaluation and residual working capacity. In. chronic bronchitics, a complete functional pulmonary test was carried out including measurement of the degree of obstruction, several specific parameters, non-specific bronchial reactivity and an analysis of arterial blood gases. Disability was reassessed in accordance with the following parameters: accurate evaluation, inaccurate evaluation, residual working capacity, uncompleted treatment. The one-way Kruskal-Wallis rank analysis of non-parametric data attributed the following predictors as specific: age, PC20, FEV1, the condition of hyperreactive airways and the degree of airway obstruction. The relevance of functional criteria ar rest, particularly of FEV1, for assessing the loss of working capacity in persons with chronic obstructive bronchitis is emphasized.

[Longitudinal recording and follow-up of newborns in the prevention of disease in childhood]. / Longitudinalno pracenje i evidencija novorodencadi u prevenciji invalidnoti djece.

For any society a timely follow-up of the child's psychosomatic development is of utmost importance. Such a follow-up requires that at the very birth of the child there are adequate records on all phases of pregnancy, on risk factors potentially affecting the child's development, and data on labour and the newborn's functions. All this information should be provided by gynecologists in consultation units for women and in maternity wards, as well as by pediatricians in maternity wards and child dispensaries. In view of this, systematic examinations and the follow-up of children in their first days and years of life are imperative for an early detection of possible health impairments. For the implementation of such a programme a close collaboration of hospital and non-hospital services and the standardization of medical records are essential. At present some recording in this respect exists but its scope is very modest. The setting up of a respective registry is what is actually needed.