[Chronic bronchitis and risk factors in employees of the sanitation départment, city of Geneva]. / Bronchite chronique et facteurs de risque chez les employés de la voirie à Genève

The MRC questionnaire on respiratory symptoms was applied to 429 employees of the sanitation department of the city of Geneva. At the same time, the PFR was determined. The prevalence of the chronic bronchitis was shown to be three times as high in this sample as in the active population of Geneva from the same age group. According to our results, the severity of the respiratory symptoms as well as the level of the respiratory function depended, besides age, on the three risk factors which had been taken into account: cigarette smoking, a history of broncho-pulmonary disease and occupational exposure to weather conditions and air pollution. In the absence of these factors, the severity of symptoms was the lowest and the respiratory function the highest. With all these factors combined, the severity of symptoms was the most pronounced and the function the worst, particularly in bronchitics. It seems that prevention of chronic bronchitis should not rely only upon antismoking propaganda but that the combination of several risks factors should be avoided.

[Level of SO2 pollution and the prevalence of bronchitis]. / Niveau de pollution par le SO2 et prévalence de la bronchite.

The prevalence of chronic bronchitis (according to the BMRC questionnaire on respiratory symptoms) for 1182 male smokers, as well as their peak flow rate, are related to age (18-65 years), cagarette consumption (1-55 cig./day) and exposure to atmospheric SO2 pollution (20-65 microgram/m3).

[Excess mortality in out-patients psychiatry: first results of a Geneva study]. / Surmortalité en psychiatrie ambulatoire: premiers résultats d'une étude à Genève.

The project intends to prove an excess of mortality among the out-patients of the official psychiatric center of Geneva. The study is of the follow-up retrospective type. The primary results confirm the hypothesis. They show an increased relative risk of death by suicide and other non natural causes, for both sexes, as well as by natural causes (especially respiratory diseases) but only among women.