[On the epidemiology of recurrent and chronic bronchopulmonary diseases-an examination of about 18000 children. 5. Investigations in Wolfen and Bitterfeld (author's transl)].

Bitterfeld and Wolfen are towns with extremely polluted air, due to important plants of the chemical industry. In two different actions we examined 3634 children of four different groups of age. As a result we found 7,8% of them (281 children) suffering from chronic or recurrent nonspecific bronchopulmonary diseases (7,0% suffering from recurrent or chronic bronchitis, and 0,8% from bronchial asthma). The rate of morbidity was the same in both towns. It was significantly higher than in the other districts examined by us (Halle, Merseburg, Quedlinburg). In contrast to the other districts we found in Bitterfeld and Wolfen only an insignificant decrease of the morbity rate with increasing age of the children.