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Roland B. Christian, MD
West Side Clinic, SC Green Bay, Wis

JAMA. 1991;265(6):724-725.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

The observations that the increased mortality and hospitalization for asthma occur in urban areas, and particularly with geographical localization in the Northeast and North Central^1,2 areas, bring to mind possible correlation with air pollutants. Urban localities tend to have a higher concentration of "smog," particularly in the Northeast and North Central areas, which have been plagued by nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions as well as ozone problems. Neither article mentions an association to possible ozone or nitrous oxide levels in these areas as a cause for the changing patterns of hospitalization and mortality in asthma.

It is known that ozone decreases pulmonary function in younger and older nonsmoking volunteer patients.³ Concentrations of ozone and other air pollutants are regularly determined in metropolitan areas and, generally, at several locations in large metropolitan areas. This information thus should allow correlation with the asthma hospitalization and mortality . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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