Chest
Volume 95, Issue 6, June 1989, Pages 1244-1247
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Clinical Investigations
Prevalence of Chronic Bronchitis and Respiratory Function in a Group of Dairy Farmers in the French Doubs Province

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We used a questionnaire combined with medical history and spirometric studies to compare symptoms and respiratory function in two groups of subjects living in the French province of Doubs. A group of 250 dairy farmers was compared with 250 control subjects, matched with regard to sex, age, height, and smoking habits. The prevalence of acute bronchial infections and dyspnea was identical in the two groups. Among dairy farmers, 30 (12 percent) had chronic bronchitis vs 15 (6 percent) in the control group (p<0.05). Chronic bronchitis was more common in patients aged over 40 years (p<0.001) and in nonsmokers (p<0.001). All respiratory function parameters measured (expressed as a mean percentage of values measured in comparison with theoretic values) were lower in the dairy farmer group than in the control group. With regard to degree of bronchial obstruction, the difference between the two groups was more marked in patients aged 40 years and over and in nonsmokers. Dairy farmers' occupation is a risk factor of chronic bronchitis and bronchial obstruction, in particular in patients aged 40 years and over and in nonsmokers.

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MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was undertaken with the cooperation of the Doubs Mutualité Sociale Agricole (MSA), the medical department of which organizes five yearly free physical examinations for all affiliated members (farmers and agricultural administrative workers). The examinations are carried out in premises made available by the localities concerned, near the patients' homes.

RESULTS

In the group of dairy farmers, 30 patients (12 percent) had symptoms of chronic bronchitis (23 men, 7 women) vs 15 (12 men, 3 women) in the control group, a statistically significant difference (OR, 2.13 ± [1.11 to 4.07]). The difference in prevalence of chronic bronchitis between the two groups was greater in patients aged 40 years and over (OR, 3.12 ± [1.3 to 7.9]) and, above all, in nonsmokers (OR = 7.56 ± [1.7 to 33.9]) (Table 2).

In the population as a whole, the prevalence of chronic

DISCUSSION

This study confirms that the dairy farmers' occupation is a risk factor for chronic bronchitis and bronchial obstruction.

The difference between the two groups with regard to both chronic bronchitis and bronchial obstruction appeared to be clear-cut only in subjects aged ≥40 years and in nonsmokers (regardless of sex). In a similar study in Vermont, Babott et al7 reported 25 percent chronic bronchitis sufferers in a group of male farmers compared with 17 percent in a control group (industrial

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank for their cooperation Prof. H. Allemand, Department of Epidemiology, Centre Hospitalier Régional de Besançon; Dr. D. Blum, Department of Statistics, Centre Hospitalier Régional de Besançon; Drs. C. Faucompre, D. Debieuvre, and F. Fahkfahk, Department of Chest Disease, Centre Hospitalier Régional de Besançon.

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Cited by (0)

Supported by the Medical Department (J. J. Laplante, M.D.) of the Mutualité Sociale Agricole du Doubs, the Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles de Bourgogne, Franche-Comté (Director J. Raison), and the Direction Départementale des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales.

Manuscript received June 27; revision accepted October 14.

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