PMID- 8666100
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19960805
LR  - 20190821
IS  - 0903-1936 (Print)
IS  - 0903-1936 (Linking)
VI  - 8
IP  - 12
DP  - 1995 Dec
TI  - Respiratory symptoms in elderly Chinese living in Hong Kong.
PG  - 2055-61
AB  - Respiratory diseases can cause considerable disability in the elderly because of 
      their limited respiratory reserve as a result of ageing. We have investigated the 
      prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases in elderly Chinese in Hong Kong 
      and compared these data with those in elderly Caucasian populations. Two thousand 
      and thirty two (999 male and 1,033 female) subjects, selected by age-stratified 
      random sampling from a register of Hong Kong residents aged 70 yrs and over were 
      interviewed to complete a respiratory questionnaire. Total serum immunoglobulin E 
      (IgE) was measured in 195 subjects. At least one respiratory symptom was reported 
      by 56% of subjects. The most frequently reported symptoms were morning phlegm 
      (26%), chronic cough with phlegm (10%) and wheeze in the past 12 months (8%). Of 
      the self-reported diseases, the commonest was chronic bronchitis (7%), followed 
      by asthma (5%), pulmonary tuberculosis (3%) and emphysema (2%). Of the 218 
      subjects with obstructive airway diseases, 128 (59%) had sought medical advice in 
      the past 12 months. The most important determinants for respiratory symptoms and 
      diseases were smoking and social class. Total serum IgE was significantly higher 
      in current smokers than nonsmokers and also in those with chronic cough and 
      phlegm than those without these complaints. Our study shows that respiratory 
      ailments in Hong Kong elderly are as common as those reported in Sweden and the 
      USA but less than those in England.
FAU - Lai, C K
AU  - Lai CK
AD  - Dept of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
FAU - Ho, S C
AU  - Ho SC
FAU - Lau, J
AU  - Lau J
FAU - Yuen, Y K
AU  - Yuen YK
FAU - Ho, S S
AU  - Ho SS
FAU - Chan, C H
AU  - Chan CH
FAU - Woo, J
AU  - Woo J
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Eur Respir J
JT  - The European respiratory journal
JID - 8803460
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Aged
MH  - China/ethnology
MH  - Female
MH  - Health Surveys
MH  - Hong Kong/epidemiology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/analysis/blood
MH  - Lung Diseases/diagnosis/*epidemiology
MH  - Lung Diseases, Obstructive/epidemiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Risk Factors
MH  - Smoking
MH  - Socioeconomic Factors
EDAT- 1995/12/01 00:00
MHDA- 1995/12/01 00:01
CRDT- 1995/12/01 00:00
PHST- 1995/12/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1995/12/01 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1995/12/01 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1183/09031936.95.08122055 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Eur Respir J. 1995 Dec;8(12):2055-61. doi: 10.1183/09031936.95.08122055.