Since the German unification in 1990, several large scale studies have been started. Short-term effects of air pollution on daily mortality have been investigated in Erfurt retrospectively for 1980 to 1989. The logarithmic shape shows that the increase of ambient concentrations at the beginning of the heating season in fall is more important than further increases in concentrations later in winter. A second study on short-term effects was conducted using daily peak flow measurements and respiratory symptoms in 270 patients with asthma and other obstructive airway diseases in East Germany and the Czech Republic between 1990 and 1992. Three cross-sectional studies are in progress to compare the existing respiratory health status in East and West Germany.
Analysis is ongoing.
Preliminary analyses show that respriratory symptoms like bronchitis, tonsillitis, recurrent colds, and chronic cough are reported more often in East than in West Germany. In contrast, prevalence of asthma, wheezing, hayfever, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and positive skin tests for common allergies is higher in West Germany. For asthma prevalence and atopic reactions other risk factors seem to be more relevant. Total IgE in East Germany seems to be related to crowded homes and may reflect specific chains of reinfection. 1 D-85758 Oberschleissheim.