[Mortality by respiratory disease in ten European and North American countries (1979-1990)].

The aim of this paper is to compare respiratory mortality, cancer and tuberculosis excluded, in 10 countries during 12 years. Mortality data came from World Health Statistics Annual of the WHO and age adjusted rates were calculated. For all causes respiratory mortality, acute pathologies and chronic obstructions not elsewhere classified, United Kingdom and above all Eire have the highest rates; Italy, France and Germany have the lowest rates; the other countries (Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Canada, United States) have rates similar, sometimes equal). For chronic conditions, Denmark has the highest rates, Canada and United States the lowest; Eire and United Kingdom begin a great decrease from 1983. On the whole, differences between countries do not vary very much with the years or the pathologies and the evolution over the time is not very marked apart from some countries.