[The health status of 15-18-year-old schoolchildren in Moscow]

Analysis of the health status of about 3 thousand 15-year-old schoolchildren from the Central Administrative District of Moscow, made during annual prophylactic medical examinations during 1994 to 2003, revealed a clear tendency for diminished functional capacities in schoolchildren. There was a less than 30% reduction in the number of apparently healthy adolescents with a rise in the proportion of persons with dysfunctions of the locomotor apparatus (LMA) (24.7%), organ of vision (OV) (21.9%), and gastrointestinal tract (19.2%). Over time there was an increase in the frequency of changes in LMA, OV, and immune system. The revealed correlation and the similarity of the time course of changes during different years of observation between LMA and OV lesions in the examined schoolchildren assume the etiopathogenetic and embryogenetic commonness of their involvement due to the structural and functional unity with connective tissue elements. A functional relationship was assumed to be between OV and LMA, which was due to the visual motor functional system. In-depth studies are required to elucidate reasons for the revealed tendencies.