Occupation, socioeconomic status and chronic obstructive respiratory diseases - The EpiLung study in Finland, Estonia and Sweden.

Objective: To study occupational groups and occupational exposure in association with chronic obstructive respiratory diseases.

Methods: In early 2000s, structured interviews on chronic respiratory diseases and measurements of lung function as well as fractional expiratory nitric oxide (F) were performed in adult random population samples of Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Occupations were categorized according to three classification systems.

Parallel gradients in F and in the prevalences of asthma and atopy in adult general populations of Sweden, Finland and Estonia - A Nordic EpiLung study.

The prevalence of asthma is higher in Sweden and Finland than in neighbouring eastern countries including Estonia. Corresponding difference in bronchial eosinophilic inflammation could be studied by F measurements. We aimed to compare F in adult general populations of Sweden, Finland, and Estonia, to test the plausibility of the west-east disparity hypothesis of allergic diseases.

Low socio-economic status is a risk factor for respiratory symptoms: a comparison between Finland, Sweden and Estonia.

Objective: To assess the relation of socio-economic status to respiratory symptoms common in asthma and chronic bronchitis, and to compare risk factors for these symptoms between three neighbouring countries.

Design: A postal survey was performed in 1996 as a part of comparative studies in Finland, Sweden and Estonia (the FinEsS studies). A random sample of 58,661 subjects aged 20-64 years were invited, of whom 44,483 participated.

Postal survey on asthma, chronic bronchitis and respiratory symptoms among adult Estonians and non-Estonians (FinEsS-study).

Background: According to the data of the population census held in Estonia in 1989, the resident population consisted of 61.5% Estonians and 38.5% non-Estonians, the majority of them being Russians--30.

Passive smoking and respiratory symptoms in the FinEsS Study.

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between reported environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and respiratory symptoms. In 1996, a postal questionnaire was randomly distributed in three areas of Estonia to a population-based sample, of which 4,995 females and 1,822 males had never smoked. The main outcome measures were current respiratory symptoms and the amount of reported ETS exposure outside the home.