Chronic respiratory disease in rural women. An epidemiological survey at Hankasalmi, Finland.

To discover the prevalence of chronic respiratory disease and its association with various factors, 1217 women (84% of the defined population) aged 25 to 69 years were surveyed using a questionnaire, chest radiograph and spirometry. 71 women with pulmonary tuberculosis or "other respiratory disease" were excluded from the analysis. At all ages the smokers were thinner than the non-smokers. The percentages of overweight women among the non-smokers, ex-smokers and smokers were 50%, 42% and 19%, respectively (P less than 0.001). Nasal catarrh was significantly more common in the smokers than in the non-smokers but for other symptoms no definite association with smoking was found. Breathlessness, wheezing and the effect of weather were significantly more common at older ages. Socioeconomic status did not seem to influence the occurrence of chronic respiratory disease. No significant effect of smoking on FEV1, FVC or FEV1 % was found.