[Social problems associated with chronic bronchitis]

The relationships between schooling, occupation, symptoms of chronic bronchitis and smoking habits were investigated in 5,000 people. This study was done in conjunction with a mass X-ray screening effort in a district of Budapest. The number of smokers among those with an academic education was 6-7% lower than in the group with primary school education. Symptoms of bronchitis are less common among the smokers in the former group (7%) than among those in the latter group (18%). The incidence of bronchitis was also lower among intellectuals. It is assumed that higher education or a higher cultural level is associated with a healthier and more modern life style, cigarette smoking being only one, albeit the most important, factor involved.