[Asthma and the environment in the Lagunera district]. / Asma y medio ambiente en la Comarca Lagunera.

AIMS: The characteristics and real dimension of the environmental problems are frequently unknown. These results in a poor knowledge about health impact and deficient planning of the measures required for their protection. Asthma is a prior health problem at Comarca Lagunera. OBJECTIVE: The analysis of environment characteristics that could affect its presentation is the objective of this paper. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We took information form several official bureaus and regional records. It identified that the coexistence of some factors, like regional weather characteristics, with extreme temperature and frequent dust storm, growing deforest, dominant flora and acute and chronic contamination by particulates material, mainly at urban areas, could explain the epidemiological profile of the disease in this urban area so an interdisciplinary participation is required for solving this problem. RESULTS: In the Comarca Lagunera, several factors coexist which precipitate symptoms in asthmatic subjects: climatological features which favor the inflammatory process and increase susceptibility to respiratory tract infections which can set off asthmatic crises. CONCLUSION: The epidemiological behavior os asthma in this regions may be associated with its climatological characteristics.

Asthmatic exacerbations and environmental pollen concentration in La Comarca Lagunera (Mexico).

In order to determine the correlation between the concentration of environmental pollen and the frequency of asthmatic exacerbations in La Comarca Lagunera (México), a study in a cohort of a 104 diagnosed patients suffering allergic asthma was carried out monitoring monthly from July '93 to July '95 in order to register the existence of asthmatic exacerbations. Environmental samples were taken weekly during the same period of time through a PST high volume collector (Andersen Samplers Inc). The above mentioned samples were processed under acetolysis technics and the pollen grain count under light microscopy. Linear correlation measures were made between the rates of asthmatic exacerbations and the concentration of pollen grain in m3 of air by means of a statistical computer program SAS. There was a 1469 persons/month follow up ('X 15.5) and the correlation between the rates of asthmatic exacerbations and the concentration of environmental pollen was relevant (r = 0.63, r2 = 0.39, p < 0.01). The correlation increased (r = 0.70, r2 = 0.49 and p < 0.01) when the asthmatic exacerbations associated to infectious disease in the upper respiratory system were restricted. The conclusion reached is that the concentration of environment pollen has influence in the development of asthmatic exacerbations in patients with allergic asthma.