Response to a respiratory survey.
Respondents to a respiratory survey of Berlin, New Hampshire, residents in 1961 have been studied to assess the relationship between co-operation and respiratory disease prevalence. Two hundred and forty-three unco-operative subjects, interviewed at home, had significantly more morning phlegm and a lower vital capacity than carefully matched subjects who attended the central clinic. Fifty-one volunteers had the same prevalence of respiratory disease symptoms and physiological abnormalities as carefully matched subjects drawn from a probability sample of the city.It is concluded that respiratory disease prevalence will be underestimated if calculated from studies of co-operative subjects who attend a clinic. Case-finding by respiratory disease screening clinics will also miss many persons who suffer from chronic bronchitis.
D001604:Berlin; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009513:New Hampshire; D015995:Prevalence; D012120:Respiration Disorders; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases; D014797:Vital Capacity
RESPIRATORY DISEASES