In order to evaluate further the relationship between acute bronchiolitis in infancy and subsequent respiratory problems, children prospectively followed up from the time of their admission to hospital were reviewed along with a group of matched controls recruited at the previous five and a half year assessment. Sixty one index children and 47 controls took part. The groups were well matched for age, height, parental smoking, and social class. Although the prevalence of respiratory symptoms had fallen when related to the previous review, there remained an excess of coughing (48 and 17% in index and control children respectively; odds ratio 4.02) and wheezing (34 and 13% in index and control children respectively; odds ratio 3.59). Bronchodilator therapy was used by 33% of index children compared with 3% of controls. Lung function tests revealed no significant diVerences in the measurements of lung growth-for example, forced vital capacity, functional residual capacity, and total lung capacity-but the index children had significant reductions in measurements of airways obstruction-for example, forced expiratory volume in one second, maximum expiratory flow at 75, 50 and 25% of vital capacity, and airways resistance. Family history and personal skin tests showed no excess of atopy in the index group. This study supports the claim that the excess respiratory symptoms after acute bronchiolitis are not due to familial or personal susceptibility to atopy.

Fifty-two cases of toxic-shock syndrome that occurred in January 1, 1976 through August 31, 1980, were reported to the Utah State Health Department between February 1 and August 31, 1980. The annual attack rate for Utah based on a six-month surveillance period was 14.4 per 100,000 women ages 12-49 years. All cases were in women who had onset of illness within two days of menses. Potential risk factors were investigated with a case-control study utilizing 29 women hospitalized with toxic-shock syndrome and 91 neighborhood female controls. Nine of the 29 (31%) women reported recurrences of similar illness. Use of tampons (p = 0.012) and use of a single brand of tampon-Rely-during the month of illness (p less than 0.005, RR =6.11) were associated with a significantly increased risk of acquiring toxic-shock syndrome. More controls were sexually active than women who had toxic-shock syndrome (p less than 0.05, RR - 0.277). This epidemiologic investigation of toxic-shock syndrome in menstrual-age women has identified tampons generally and a single brand specifically as significant risk factors in acquiring toxic-shock syndrome.

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