[Symptoms of diseases of the respiratory system and their importance in diagnosis. Summary and conclusions of research].

The status in the sphere of diagnosis of respiratory diseases and the revealed shortcomings in this area stimulated workers of the First Clinic for TB and Respiratory Diseases to elaborate two investigations, the aim of which was to reveal in the course of the eighties (1983-1988) the most important problems in the diagnostic process and thus contribute to the improvement of the present state. Another task was to record developmental trends as regards the contents of the discipline of pneumology. A relatively large number of patients (2207 subjects) and the period of investigation made it possible to draw some general conclusions. The results proved persisting shortcomings, in particular a slow diagnostic process which e.g. in bronchogenic carcinoma and some other diseases very much restricts effective treatment and in TB there is the danger of infection of the healthy population. From this ensue necessary provisions at all levels of medical care (in particular comprehensive examinations of patients, interdisciplinary collaboration, improved preventive provisions and attention paid to changes in the frequency and clinical picture of lung diseases as a result of different factors).