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W Jedrychowski

Publications and source records attributed to W Jedrychowski.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Are chronic wheezing and asthma-like attacks related to FEV1 decline? The Cracow Study.

Analysis is presented of the relationship between decline in ventilatory function and possible symptoms of bronchial hyperreactivity. Data comes from three consecutive surveys within a 13-year follow-up study of a population sample of 1747 persons (718 males and 1029 females) who completed spirometric testing and interviews. Chest symptoms recorded in the two initial surveys were used as baselines for the prognostic study on FEV1 change. To evaluate changes in lung function the FEV1 decline index, expressed as percentage of FEV1 loss during the study period, was calculated. Chronic wheezing and asthma-like attacks were very strongly related to FEV1 baseline level. Multiple linear regression analysis for each separate symptom including age and smoking habits as confounders and showed that the FEV1 decline index was higher and more significant when wheezing and asthma-like attacks or chronic cough were present. When the combination of symptoms were introduced into the regression model, the effect of wheezing became insignificant. Only attacks of shortness of breath in both sexes and chronic cough in women were significantly associated with more rapid FEV1 decline. However, the effect of persistent wheezing in men had a rather substantial impact on FEV1 change. Comparing the effect of the number of cigarettes smoked with the effect of symptoms, one can see that FEV1 decline due to attacks of shortness of breath is comparable to that seen with heavy smoking. There was no strong evidence that the symptoms under study precede the more rapid FEV1 decline.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Occupational exposures and changes in pulmonary function over 13 years among residents of Cracow.

In a 13 year follow up study conducted among residents of Cracow the relation of annual rate of decline in FEV1 to occupational exposures was analysed. The study group consisted of 696 men and 983 women aged 19-60 at the start of the study in 1968. They were interviewed three times, in 1968, 1973, and 1981, and decline in FEV1 was estimated for each subject from spirometric measurements in 1968 and 1981. The interviews provided data on exposure at the workplace to dusts, variable temperature, and chemicals or irritating gases, which established duration and time of the exposure. The FEV1 mean level, height, and smoking habits were considered as confounders in the analysis. The study indicated that the most pronounced influence on decline in FEV1 was prolonged and continuing exposure to variable temperature. The effects of dusts, independent of exposure to variable temperature, were much smaller but analysis in occupational subgroups suggest that dust may be important in some, such as workers in the building materials and pottery industry. Relatively immediate effects of exposure to chemicals were detected independently of effects of other exposures. The estimated effects of occupational exposures were of a similar magnitude as those of tobacco smoking though related to much smaller groups. Both effects were additive in accelerating decline in lung function. These results, obtained in the general population and less biased by selection than studies performed in industrial settings, show the importance of occupational factors in the natural history of limitation of airflow.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

A case-control study of dietary factors and stomach cancer risk in Poland.

We report results from a case-control study on stomach cancer conducted in 1980-81 in Cracow, Poland, where the risk of this disease is among the highest reported world-wide. One hundred and ten cases from a surgical clinic were matched by age and sex to the same number of controls from the same hospital. A matched series from a population-based health survey was also considered. After adjusting for residency, smoking and various food items, cases and hospital controls showed significant differences in consumption of fruits (RR rarely vs. daily: 3.24; 95% CI: 1.56-6.77), joint consumption of vegetables, salads and fruits (RR low vs. high: 4.23; 95% CI: 1.41-12.63), and consumption of protein-containing foods (RR low vs. high: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.08-0.61). Consumption of strong alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach (before breakfast) was associated with an RR of 2.09 (1.04-4.22). The findings are discussed in relation to the apparent urban/rural difference in stomach cancer incidence in Poland and the possible underlying etiological factors involved.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Changes in lung function determined longitudinally compared with decline assessed cross-sectionally. The Cracow Study.

Longitudinal annual changes in lung function (FEV1) with cross-sectional estimates have been compared in the sample of Cracow inhabitants who underwent epidemiological follow-up on chronic nonspecific chest diseases. The annual rate of FEV1 decline was faster in men than in women. Among male smokers the FEV1 decline rate was 30% greater, while in women smokers 9% faster than in non-smokers. The cross-sectional estimates for annual changes differed in both surveys carried out in the interval of 13 years and were not very much consistent with the average longitudinal annual decline observed in the sample. However, the prediction of annual decline across the age groups showed large inconsistencies. They resulted from the curvilinear pattern in lung function decline over the age groups. It was found that the lung function in the elderly appeared to be more homogeneous and the acceleration of decline rates slowed down. There is some evidence that the flattening of the decline curve among elderly might have been influenced by the selection bias.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Factors associated with the change in ventilatory function and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a 13-year follow-up of the Cracow Study. Risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In a longitudinal, epidemiologic study, we investigated the relation of a number of factors to the loss of ventilatory lung function over time and to the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Data on 759 men and 1,065 women 19 to 70 yr of age examined twice during a 13-yr period were analyzed. The decline rate in FEV1 was related to age and was greater in persons with lower FEV1 values and in taller persons. The clear relation to smoking was confirmed. Occupational exposure to dusts in men and to variable temperatures in women significantly increased the FEV1 decline rate. In men in blood group A, the loss of FEV1 was smaller than in men in the other blood groups. In women who had had 4 or more children, we observed a faster decline in FEV1. In the analysis of COPD incidence, we confirmed that age, baseline FEV1 value, and, in men, smoking habit are the most important predictors of disease. Among women, also, attacks of breathlessness were demonstrated to increase disease risk twofold (p less than 0.10), even after adjustment for other factors in the logistic regression model. We estimated the index of risk for COPD and predicted 63% of male and 67% of female cases in the top 20% of risk distribution.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Survival rates among Seventh Day Adventists compared with the general population in Poland.

The purpose of the work was to test the hypothesis that the survival rate is higher among the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) than in the general population of Poland, because of the strictly respected customs adhered to by members of this church community, such as abstinence from smoking and from alcohol. The data on life expectancy in the SDA community covered a total of 236 members of this denomination in Kraków (86 males and 150 females). The survival probability rates were estimated by the life table method, for both men and women separately, and were subsequently compared with the corresponding parameters of the Polish Life Tables. Over a period of 10 years, in which these data were studied, there were 11 deaths in males and 24 deaths in females. Mean age at death was 71.9 years among men and 75.1 among women. The survival curves traced over the age groups of both sexes of SDA members were fairly similar, but they were markedly higher than in the general population of Poland. In the general population the survival rates for people over 40 years old were higher in females than in males, whereas no corresponding sex differences in rates concerning SDA members were observed. The greater benefit in life expectancy is gained in the SDA group in comparison with men in the general population. This is attributable to their abstinence from very harmful habits, otherwise more widespread in this sex group.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Longitudinal monitoring of changes in individual smoking habit over 13-year period among adults.

The purpose of the longitudinal monitoring of smoking habits among adults was to define demographic and social characteristics which may contribute to the persistence of smoking and to evaluate the effectiveness of the preventive programs undertaken by the mass media. The data has been collected during the follow-up epidemiological study on chronic nonspecific chest diseases in Cracow, Poland. In total the material covered a sample of 2965 persons who were interviewed three times over 1968-81 period. In the analysis the prevalence rates, incidence and cessation rates have been taken into consideration. The results obtained in the study confirm the decline in the prevalence of smoking habit among men but among females increased substantially in the younger birth cohorts. Incidence rate of smoking in females was higher than in men but cessation rates were very similar. The striking was the fact that the prevalence of smokers in the youngest age group in university graduates was about three times higher in women than in men. The results call for more knowledge about the psychosocial factors that may contribute to the initiation of smoking and more effective strategies applied to deter the onset of smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Confronting the effects of smoking and air quality on the development of chronic respiratory diseases.

The main purpose of the paper was to compare the effects of outdoor and indoor air quality on the development of chronic respiratory diseases measured in the prospective study of chronic chest diseases among the inhabitants of Cracow, Poland. The 5-year follow-up study covered a probability sample of 4355 adult inhabitants. Data on respiratory symptoms and lung function in addition to variables related to environmental and socioeconomic factors were included. To assess the separate and joint effects of the chosen environmental factors on chronic chest problems, the multiple logistic regression analysis has been carried out. As expected, smoking habit was the strongest single of the factors related to the persistence of the respiratory symptoms. The effect of smoking was more marked in men than in women and this can be attributed to longer duration of smoking and more cigarettes smoked daily by men. Out of all considered adverse occupational factors only chemicals increased the risk of chronic bronchitis in men while dust increased the risk of exacerbations in women. The data showed a significant decrease in risk of exacerbations among the women who used a gas stove for cooking. The study also confirmed the harmful effect of smoking on lung function. Against this particular background the importance of variable temperature combined with ambient air pollution appeared to have rather strong detrimental biologic impact.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Serum lipids and lipoproteins in relation to smoking among the apparently healthy workers: a preliminary survey. The Pavia Study.

This pilot study is concerned mainly with the interrelationships between serum lipids and lipoproteins, and personal variables like age, body mass index (BMI) and smoking habit. The analysis was limited to the male workers employed in the Lombardia region. The results of the study confirm the findings of the other investigators on the interaction between smoking and lipid metabolism. The effect of smoking on the cholesterol level appeared to have been the most pronounced and the clear strong relationship with the exposure was established. Also triglycerides concentration was related to the smoking exposure. The HDL lipoproteins were lower and LDL-VLDL higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, however, the association with the smoking exposure was insignificant. The findings showed that HDL-cholesterol level was inversely dependent on the plasma triglycerides both in nonsmokers and smokers. The paper discusses the implications of the research carried out on the interpretation of the HDL-cholesterol values as a eventual potential risk factor for the coronary heart disease.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

Importance of urban air pollution in chronic respiratory problems.

The prevalence of nonspecific respiratory diseases was confirmed by two physical examinations taken five years apart. Data were analysed in relation to the area of residence within the city. Particular emphasis was placed on higher or lower levels of atmospheric air pollution. Using multivariate methods of analysis it was shown that air pollution increased the risk of: persistent cough or phlegm, chronic bronchitis and reduced ventilatory capacity in the group of man exposed to occupational hazards. Additionally, it was noted that amongst men reporting persistent cough or phlegm, the prevalence of exacerbation of these symptoms was much greater in residents of more highly polluted parts of the city. In women, the prevalence of exacerbation of symptoms was associated with particular indoor environments.

Adult↗