[Environmental epidemiological study on respiratory diseases in two Hungarian towns]. / Légzoszervi környezet-epidemiológiai vizsgálat Nyergesújfalun és Komáromban. Osszehasonlító tanulmány.

Authors performed standardized, respiratory and risk factor questionnaire surveys among the adult population of two towns of Hungary: the first in Nyergesújfalu, according to the distance of the flat from asbestos cement factory, and the second in Komárom, a settlement of a smaller burden of industry. They excluded the data of former asbestos industry workers from the calculations. By the analysis of the Nyergesújfalu data they concluded that odds of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms, other illnesses and tumors were not significantly higher among the inhabitants living in the vicinity of the asbestos factory than those living farther from there, based on raw and adjusted comparisons. However, the odds of these health endpoints were significantly and approximately one and a half to two and a half times greater in Nyergesújfalu than in Komárom. Indeed, more of the odds of the investigated risk factors were also greater in Nyergesújfalu than in Komárom. So the aim of this analysis was to compare the odds of COPD and other illnesses' burdens in the two towns adjusted to the checked lifestyle, household and workplace factors. Logistic regression models were used. The adjusted odds of the most COPD symptoms were also significantly greater in Nyergesújfalu than in Komárom. The conclusion is that the role of the environmental asbestos exposure should furthermore not be excluded, influencing the odds of the COPD symptoms of adults who were not exposed to asbestos occupationally. (However, even this study confirms the significant associations between the health endpoints and gender, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, occupational exposure, indoor mould and heredity.) The need for performing analytic studies, e.g. by transmission electron microscopy, can be put, for how great are, and, how different are the asbestos concentrations in the air of the two towns (this can allude to the former asbestos concentrations in the air), moreover, how great are, and, how different are the asbestos concentrations in autopsy lung samples in the two towns. Mainly after seeing clearly in these questions, it is to consider suggesting the right intervention steps. Moreover, the elimination of the identified risk factors claims for effective health education activity.

[Increase in prevalence of childhood asthma in Budapest between 1995 and 2003: correlation with air pollution data and total pollen count]. / A gyermekkori asztma prevalenciájának növekedése Budapesten 1995 és 2003 között a (változatlan) légszennyezettségi és pollen adatok tükrében.

INTRODUCTION: According to the data of the Hungarian pulmonological network, the prevalence of asthma in the last 15 years has increased (almost linearly) in Hungary. In 2004 it was 1.8%. There are only a few data about the prevalence of childhood asthma. AIMS: The aim of the authors was to measure the prevalence of bronchial asthma in childhood in Budapest in 1995, 1999 and 2003, using questionnaires directed to district pediatricians. METHODS: There were only two questions in these questionnaires: how many children are in their districts, and how many are suffering from asthma? Besides of this survey the dust, CO, NO(2) and SO(2) concentrations in the air were measured on-line at 8 points in Budapest, while ozone level measurements were also made at 2 stations. The counts of pollen and of fungal elements in the air were calculated separately for Buda and for Pest. RESULTS: In 1995, replies were received from 118 pediatricians in 11 districts, who were responsible for the supervision of 104,060 children, out of these 1.88+/-0.87% had been diagnosed as having asthma. In 1999 replies were sent by 153 physicians in 22 of the 23 districts, who had a total of 142,679 children under their care. These included 3228 asthmatics, i.e. a prevalence of 2.26+/-0.95%. In 2003 the authors received answers from all of the 23 districts of Budapest. The 204 pediatricians were responsible for the supervision of 176 049 children. The number of patients with the diagnosis of asthma was 4712 (corresponding for a prevalence of 2.68+/-1.3%). The increase between 1995 and 1999, and between 1999 and 2003 was highly significant (p < 0.0001). This significant increase was valid even when the authors analysed only those 11 districts, which answered already in 1995. The level of air pollution in Budapest did not deteriorate in the period in question, and the concentration of pollen grains of plants causing allergy did not increase compared to previous years. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the results of more than 100 thousand children, the authors conclude that between 1995 and 2003 the proportion of asthmatic children increased by 50% in Budapest, while the air pollution did not deteriorate and the pollen concentration from sensitizing plants did not increase.