著者
KEIYA FUJIMORI HYO KYOZUKA SHUN YASUDA AYA GOTO SEIJI YASUMURA MISAO OTA AKIRA OHTSURU YASUHISA NOMURA KENICHI HATA KOUTA SUZUKI AKIHITO NAKAI MIEKO SATO SHIRO MATSUI KYOKO NAKANO MASAFUMI ABE FOR THE PREGNANCY AND BIRTH SURVEY GROUP OF THE FUKUSHIMA HEALTH MANAGEMENT SURVEY
出版者
福島医学会
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.2014-9, (Released:2014-07-15)
参考文献数
29
被引用文献数
8 47

Background: On 11 March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake followed by a powerful tsunami hit the Pacific Coast of Northeast Japan and damaged Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing a radiation hazard in Fukushima Prefecture. The objective of this report is to describe some results of a questionnaire-based pregnancy and birth survey conducted by the Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey.Materials and Methods: Questionnaires were sent to women who received maternal and child health handbooks from municipal officers in Fukushima Prefecture between 1 August 2010 and 31 July 2011, with the aim of reaching those who were pregnant at the time of the disaster. Mailing began 18 January 2012. Data were analyzed separately for six geographic areas in Fukushima Prefecture.Results: The total number of women meeting survey criteria was 15,972. The number of responses received to date is 9,298 (58.2%). Data from 8602 respondents were analyzed after excluding 634 invalid responses and 5 induced and 57 spontaneous abortions (less than 22 gestational weeks). The incidences of stillbirth (over 22 completed gestational weeks), preterm birth, low birth weight and congenital anomalies were 0.25%, 4.4%, 8.7% and 2.72%, respectively. These incidences are similar to recent averages elsewhere in Japan.Conclusion: Considering the pregnancy and birth survey data in aggregate, our disaster seemed to provoke no significant adverse outcomes over the whole of Fukushima prefecture. But post-disaster prenatal care and support intended for patients’ safety and security should be coupled with ongoing surveillance and rigorous data analysis.
著者
KEIYA FUJIMORI HYO KYOZUKA SHUN YASUDA AYA GOTO SEIJI YASUMURA MISAO OTA AKIRA OHTSURU YASUHISA NOMURA KENICHI HATA KOUTA SUZUKI AKIHITO NAKAI MIEKO SATO SHIRO MATSUI KYOKO NAKANO MASAFUMI ABE FOR THE PREGNANCY AND BIRTH SURVEY GROUP OF THE FUKUSHIMA HEALTH MANAGEMENT SURVEY
出版者
福島医学会
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.60, no.1, pp.75-81, 2014 (Released:2014-08-08)
参考文献数
29
被引用文献数
8 47

Background: On 11 March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake followed by a powerful tsunami hit the Pacific Coast of Northeast Japan and damaged Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing a radiation hazard in Fukushima Prefecture. The objective of this report is to describe some results of a questionnaire-based pregnancy and birth survey conducted by the Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey.Materials and Methods: Questionnaires were sent to women who received maternal and child health handbooks from municipal officers in Fukushima Prefecture between 1 August 2010 and 31 July 2011, with the aim of reaching those who were pregnant at the time of the disaster. Mailing began 18 January 2012. Data were analyzed separately for six geographic areas in Fukushima Prefecture.Results: The total number of women meeting survey criteria was 15,972. The number of responses received to date is 9,298 (58.2%). Data from 8602 respondents were analyzed after excluding 634 invalid responses and 5 induced and 57 spontaneous abortions (less than 22 gestational weeks). The incidences of stillbirth (over 22 completed gestational weeks), preterm birth, low birth weight and congenital anomalies were 0.25%, 4.4%, 8.7% and 2.72%, respectively. These incidences are similar to recent averages elsewhere in Japan.Conclusion: Considering the pregnancy and birth survey data in aggregate, our disaster seemed to provoke no significant adverse outcomes over the whole of Fukushima prefecture. But post-disaster prenatal care and support intended for patients’ safety and security should be coupled with ongoing surveillance and rigorous data analysis.
著者
HIROKI SHIMURA SHINICHI SUZUKI TOSHIHIKO FUKUSHIMA SANAE MIDORIKAWA SATORU SUZUKI NAOMI HAYASHIDA MISA IMAIZUMI NORIYUKI OKUBO YASUSHI ASARI TAKESHI NIGAWARA FUMIHIKO FURUYA KAZUHIKO KOTANI SHIGEYUKI NAKAJI AKIRA OTSURU TAKASHI AKAMIZU MASAFUMI KITAOKA NOBORU TAKAMURA MASAFUMI ABE HITOSHI OHTO NOBUYUKI TANIGUCHI SHUNICHI YAMASHITA
出版者
福島医学会
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.2014-28, (Released:2014-12-20)
参考文献数
33
被引用文献数
4

Contents1. Introduction2. Thyroid ultrasound examination in Fukushima3. Thyroid ultrasound findings in children in three Japanese prefectures4. Prevalence of thyroid nodular lesions in children and adolescents 4.1 Thyroid cyst 4.2 Thyroid nodule 4.3 Thyroid cancer5. SummaryConflict of interestReference
著者
TOMOTAKA SOBUE
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.57, no.2, pp.90-92, 2012 (Released:2012-02-22)
参考文献数
2
被引用文献数
4 6

When evaluating cancer risk of low-dose radiation, it is difficult to distinguish the actual effect from that of chance, bias, and confounding as they become relatively large. This is why the relation between radiation doses of less than 100 mSv and cancer risk is considered unknown. Based on data of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cancer risk at 100 mSv is calculated at 1.05 times. On the other hand, the risk ratio for the relation between passive smoking and lung cancer is estimated at approximately 1.3 and judging the actual effects faced difficulties. It is almost impossible for epidemiology research alone to show that the risk ratio of 1.05 is the actual effects of radiation. The ICRP estimation, “ exposure to 100 mSv increases cancer risk by 0.5%” , has been frequently cited, however, it is not a simple excess lifetime risk of death. It will be more appropriate to indicate a value with clear definition to people in general, such as excess lifetime risk of death or excess lifetime risk of morbidity rather than the value obtained from such complicated process. Radiation epidemiology equally uses ratio and difference to indicate degrees of risk increase. Difference largely changes depending on effects of background factors whereas ratio is often relatively stable. Therefore the use of ratio would be more appropriate when comparing other cancer risk factors.
著者
MAKOTO MIYAZAKI AKIRA OHTSURU TETSUO ISHIKAWA
出版者
福島医学会
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.2014-10, (Released:2014-07-15)
参考文献数
15
被引用文献数
3 16

A large amount of radioactive cesium was released by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Due to the increasing concerns about internal exposure, more than 50 whole-body counters (WBCs) have been installed at various locations in Fukushima Prefecture. A study on around 10,000 subjects in the early stage after the accident revealed that very few received a committed effective dose of more than 0.3 mSv for subjects (age >13 years old). Another study on WBC results for one hospital showed that the ratio of cesium-positive was 1.0% among all the subjects. Assuming a constant daily intake, the detection limit of 300 Bq/body for a typical WBC corresponds to an effective dose of 21 μSv/y even for a subject of age up to 10. It was also seen out that the subjects with a significant amount of body cesium are likely to regularly eat wild products, which they harvested or caught themselves without testing for radioactive cesium. These study findings suggested that the internal exposure for most of the residents was controlled at a very low level. Future tasks regarding WBC measurements are how to personally explain the WBC results to each subject and how to disclose the statistically processed WBC data to the general public.
著者
YUKIHIKO KAWASAKI MITSUAKI HOSOYA SEIJI YASUMURA TETSUYA OHIRA HIROAKI SATOH HITOSHI SUZUKI AKIRA SAKAI AKIRA OHTSURU ATSUSHI TAKAHASHI KOTARO OZASA GEN KOBASHI KENJI KAMIYA SHUNICHI YAMASHITA MASAFUMI ABE THE FUKUSHIMA HEALTH MANAGEMENT SURVEY GROUP
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.60, no.2, pp.159-169, 2014 (Released:2015-02-26)
参考文献数
8
被引用文献数
7 19

Aim: To assist in the long-term health management of residents and evaluate health impacts after the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in Fukushima Prefecture, the Fukushima prefectural government decided to conduct the Fukushima Health Management Survey. This report describes the results for residents aged 16 years or older who received the health check examinations and evaluates the data obtained from 2011 and 2012.Methods: The target group consisted of residents aged 16 years or older who had lived in the evacuation zone. The health check examinations were performed on receipt of an application for a health check examination from any of the residents. The examinations, including measurements of height, weight, abdominal circumference/body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, biochemical laboratory findings, and peripheral blood findings, were performed as required.Results: 1) A total of 56,399 (30.9%) and 47,009 (25.4%) residents aged 16 years or older received health checks in 2011 and 2012, respectively. 2) In both years, a number of male and female residents in the 16-39 year age group were found to suffer obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, or liver dysfunction, and the prevalence of obesity and hyperlipidemia among residents increased with age. Furthermore, the proportion of residents with hypertension, glucose metabolic abnormalities or renal dysfunction was higher in those aged 40 years or older. 3) The frequencies of obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia among residents in 2012 were lower than those in 2011. However, the prevalence of liver dysfunction, hyperuricemia, glucose metabolic abnormalities and renal dysfunction among residents was higher in 2012 than in 2011.Conclusions: These results suggested the number of residents who had lived in the evacuation zone with obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, liver dysfunction, hypertension, glucose metabolic abnormalities, or renal dysfunction increased with age in all age groups. Therefore, we think that it is necessary to continue with health check examinations for these residents in order to ameliorate lifestyle-related disease.
著者
NOBORU TAKAMURA SHUNICHI YAMASHITA
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.57, no.2, pp.81-85, 2012 (Released:2012-02-22)
参考文献数
9
被引用文献数
8 10

The Chernobyl disaster on April 26th, 1986, led to the emission of radioactive substances such as iodine-131 and radioactive cesium. As the Soviet Union did not control food distribution and intake, residents were exposed to high levels of internal radiation, leading to the internal radiation exposure of the thyroid gland by iodine 131. As a result, the number of people who had thyroid cancer increased drastically among those who had been under 15 years old at the time of the accident. The age predilection is about to move to 25 or older. However, there has been no scientific evidence of impacts for solid tumor other than thyroid cancer, leukemia, benign diseases, or inheritance including unborn babies. On the other hand, the accident was thought to have caused social unrest and mental damage which had far more impact than that caused by radiation exposure.In this paper, we would like to summarize the impacts on the health of the people in Chernobyl compared to those caused by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
著者
HIROMI YOSHIDA-KOMIYA AYA GOTO SEIJI YASUMURA KEIYA FUJIMORI MASAFUMI ABE FOR THE PREGNANCY AND BIRTH SURVEY GROUP OF THE FUKUSHIMA HEALTH MANAGEMENT SURVEY
出版者
福島医学会
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.61, no.1, pp.66-71, 2015 (Released:2015-07-08)
参考文献数
22
被引用文献数
6

Background: The Fukushima Pregnancy and Birth Survey was launched to monitor pregnant mothers’ health after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident. Several lines of investigations have indicated that a disaster impacts maternal mental health with childbirth. However, there is no research regarding mental health of mothers with fetal loss after a disaster. In this report, we focus on those women immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima NPP accident and discuss their support needs.Materials and Methods: Data regarding 61 miscarriages, 5 abortions, and 22 stillbirths were analyzed among the women who were pregnant at the time of the accident in the present study. We used a two-item case-finding instrument for depression screening, and compared the childbirth group with the fetal loss groups. We also analyzed mothers’ opinions written as free-form text.Results: Among the three fetal loss groups, the proportion of positive depression screens was significantly higher in the miscarriage and stillbirth group than in the childbirth group. Mothers’ opinions were grouped into six categories, with pregnancy-related items being most common, especially in the miscarriage and stillbirth groups.Conclusion: A higher proportion of Fukushima mothers with fetal loss, especially those with miscarriage and stillbirth, had depressive symptoms compared to those who experienced childbirth. Health care providers need to pay close attention to this vulnerable group and respond to their concerns regarding the effects on their fertility.
著者
HIROKI SHIMURA SHINICHI SUZUKI TOSHIHIKO FUKUSHIMA SANAE MIDORIKAWA SATORU SUZUKI NAOMI HAYASHIDA MISA IMAIZUMI NORIYUKI OKUBO YASUSHI ASARI TAKESHI NIGAWARA FUMIHIKO FURUYA KAZUHIKO KOTANI SHIGEYUKI NAKAJI AKIRA OTSURU TAKASHI AKAMIZU MASAFUMI KITAOKA NOBORU TAKAMURA MASAFUMI ABE HITOSHI OHTO NOBUYUKI TANIGUCHI SHUNICHI YAMASHITA
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.60, no.2, pp.196-202, 2014 (Released:2015-02-26)
参考文献数
33
被引用文献数
4

Contents1. Introduction2. Thyroid ultrasound examination in Fukushima3. Thyroid ultrasound findings in children in three Japanese prefectures4. Prevalence of thyroid nodular lesions in children and adolescents 4.1 Thyroid cyst 4.2 Thyroid nodule 4.3 Thyroid cancer5. SummaryConflict of interestReference
著者
KENNETH E. NOLLET
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.57, no.2, pp.86-89, 2012 (Released:2012-02-22)
参考文献数
13
被引用文献数
6 6

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami originating off the east coast of Japan triggered the explosive release of radioactive isotopes from one of four nuclear power plants in the affected area. This event has been compared with the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl, the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the intervening era of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. The credibility of any comparison depends on the source, for which reason various specialists were invited to address an audience of media, healthcare, and disaster response professionals on July 18, 2011 in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture. This article is based on a presentation given July 18, and interprets the Fukushima nuclear crisis from the perspective of an American doctor who grew up downwind of an atomic bomb test site, and who now works at Fukushima Medical University.
著者
NAOYA SEKIYA
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.57, no.2, pp.93-99, 2012 (Released:2012-02-22)
参考文献数
15
被引用文献数
7 11 3
著者
Susumu Yokoya Manabu Iwadate Hiroki Shimura Satoru Suzuki Takashi Matsuzuka Satoshi Suzuki Shigeyuki Murono Seiji Yasumura Kenji Kamiya Yuko Hashimoto Shin-Ichi Suzuki
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.2019-26, (Released:2019-12-13)
参考文献数
12
被引用文献数
2

The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, and its subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, prompted implementation of the Thyroid Ultrasound Examination (TUE) program as a part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey. The purpose of this program is to support residents of Fukushima Prefecture, and to analyze the health effects of the released radionuclides. Regardless of relatively high participation rates and a well-planned diagnostic flow, it is conceivable that not all thyroid cancer cases can be detected by the TUE program. The aims of the present study were to identify and characterize these “outside” cases, targeting patients at Fukushima Medical University (FMU) Hospital. As of June 30, 2017, we have successfully identified 11 outside cases. These corresponded to 5.7% of the 194 subjects who were identified as having thyroid cancer or suspected thyroid cancer in the TUE program. Although the outside subjects of other institutes were not investigated, the present study may have identified the majority of outside subjects in Japan, considering that FMU Hospital treats a large number of thyroid cancer subjects. Furthermore, the characteristics of the 11 subjects were not different from those of the subjects identified in the TUE program. These findings confirm that the TUE program was able to identify subjects of thyroid cancer adequately and sufficiently.
著者
Takahiro Zenda Ichiro Araki Otoyuki Nakamiya Mitsuko Ogawa Kotaro Higashi Toshio Ueno
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.64, no.2, pp.95-102, 2018 (Released:2018-08-29)
参考文献数
25
被引用文献数
2 4

A 29-year-old man with fever and right upper quadrant pain was referred to our hospital. Ultrasonography revealed intense gallbladder edema and pericardial effusion. Despite no symptoms and signs related to heart failure, the patient was clinically suspected of cardiac dysfunction related to acute peri-myocarditis based on his symptoms of preceding fever and headache, pericardial effusion, positive troponin T value, elevated B-type natriuretic peptide level, and sequential changes on electrocardiography. With a profound eosinophilic surge (8,022/µL) during convalescence, acute peri-myocarditis and gallbladder edema resolved spontaneously. This case instructively shows that acute peri-myocarditis initially manifests with abdominal symptoms, mimicking acute acalculous cholecystitis. In addition, an extensive review of acute myocarditis cases with peripheral eosinophilia suggests that there is a subgroup characterized by a predilection for young and middle-aged men, concurrence of pericardial effusion, transient eosinophilic surge during convalescence, and favorable outcome.
著者
Susumu Yokoya Manabu Iwadate Hiroki Shimura Satoru Suzuki Takashi Matsuzuka Satoshi Suzuki Shigeyuki Murono Seiji Yasumura Kenji Kamiya Yuko Hashimoto Shin-Ichi Suzuki
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.65, no.3, pp.122-127, 2019 (Released:2020-01-09)
参考文献数
12
被引用文献数
2

The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, and its subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, prompted implementation of the Thyroid Ultrasound Examination (TUE) program as a part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey. The purpose of this program is to support residents of Fukushima Prefecture, and to analyze the health effects of the released radionuclides. Regardless of relatively high participation rates and a well-planned diagnostic flow, it is conceivable that not all thyroid cancer cases can be detected by the TUE program. The aims of the present study were to identify and characterize these “outside” cases, targeting patients at Fukushima Medical University (FMU) Hospital. As of June 30, 2017, we have successfully identified 11 outside cases. These corresponded to 5.7% of the 194 subjects who were identified as having thyroid cancer or suspected thyroid cancer in the TUE program. Although the outside subjects of other institutes were not investigated, the present study may have identified the majority of outside subjects in Japan, considering that FMU Hospital treats a large number of thyroid cancer subjects. Furthermore, the characteristics of the 11 subjects were not different from those of the subjects identified in the TUE program. These findings confirm that the TUE program was able to identify subjects of thyroid cancer adequately and sufficiently.
著者
Shuntaro Itagaki Tomohiro Wada Shunya Yokokura Yoko Ise Akiko Sato Takatomo Matsumoto Hirobumi Mashiko Shin-ichi Niwa Hirooki Yabe
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.65, no.2, pp.68-69, 2019 (Released:2019-08-30)

This is based on a survey of two-year-old but not three-year-old cohorts. Therefore, we cannot state anything about the incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in over three-years-old children. We submit corrections in the following errata, because the original sentences might mislead the readers without evidence from three-year-old children. Also, we would like to exclude the phrase of “low-dose radiation” from the sections of Key word, Abstract, and Conclusion, because this study did not cover its influence.Author Shuntaro ItagakiAugust 05, 2019
著者
Naoto Takahashi Jun-ichi Omata Masumi Iwabuchi Hironari Fukuda Osamu Shirado
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.63, no.1, pp.8-15, 2017 (Released:2017-04-28)
参考文献数
21
被引用文献数
21

Therapy for chronic, nonspecific low back pain is mainly conservative: medication and/or exercise. Pharmacotherapy, however, has side effects, and the quantities of concomitant drugs in older persons require attention. Although exercise promises improved function, its use to alleviate pain is controversial. Thus, we compared the efficacy of pharmacotherapy versus exercise for treating chronic nonspecific low back pain. The pharmacotherapy group (n=18: 8 men, 10 women) were prescribed celecoxib monotherapy. The exercise group (n=22: 10 men, 12 women) undertook stretching exercises. Because of drop-outs, the NSAID group (n=15: 7 men, 8 women) and the exercise group (n =18: 8 men, 10 women) were finally analyzed. We applied a visual analog scale, Roland–Morris disability scores, and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. We used a paired t-test for within-group analyses and an unpaired t-test for between-group analyses. Pain relief was achieved after 3 months of pharmacotherapy or exercise. Quality of life improved only in the exercise group. Recovery outcomes for the two groups were not significantly different. Efficacy of exercise therapy for strictly defined low back pain was almost equivalent to that of pharmacotherapy and provided better quality of life.
著者
SEIJI YASUMURA
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.60, no.2, pp.192-195, 2014 (Released:2015-02-26)
参考文献数
8
被引用文献数
9 23

The Great East Japan Earthquake hit Fukushima Prefecture on March 11, 2011, just over 3 years ago and it continues to affect our lives. In Fukushima, many people are confirmed dead or still missing due to the earthquake and/or tsunami. Additional “disaster-related deaths” have been attributed to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident. Mortality among the institutionalized elderly rates after the NPP accident were exceptionally high during the first 3 months, and persisted at a lower level for 9 months, in comparison with similar periods before the accident. This study demonstrates the great impact of evacuation on mortality of institutionalized elderly, excluding inpatients. We need to pay special attention to evacuation of the elderly, regardless of whether voluntary or forced.
著者
Naoko Horikoshi Hajime Iwasa Seiji Yasumura Masaharu Maeda
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.2017-03, (Released:2017-12-12)
参考文献数
30
被引用文献数
27

The Fukushima Medical University conducted a mental health care program for evacuees after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. However, the mental health status of non-respondents has not been considered for surveys using questionnaires. Therefore, the aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of non-respondents and respondents. The target population of the survey (FY2011-2013) is people living in the nationally designated evacuation zone of Fukushima prefecture. Among these, the participants were 967 people (20 years or older). We examined factors that affected the difference between the groups of participants (i.e., non-respondents and respondents) using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Employment was higher in non-respondents (p=0.022) and they were also more socially isolated (p=0.047) when compared to respondents; non-respondents had a higher proportional risk of psychological distress compared to respondents (p<0.033). The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, within the participants there was a significant association between employment status (OR=1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.12-3.51) and psychological distress (OR=2.17, 95% CI:1.01-4.66). We found that non-respondents had a significantly higher proportion of psychological distress compared to the respondents. Although the non-respondents were the high-risk group, it is not possible to grasp the complexity of the situation by simply using questionnaire surveys. Therefore, in the future it is necessary to direct our efforts towards the mental health of non-respondents and respondents alike.