Increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation after the Great East Japan Earthquake: Results from the Fukushima Health Management Survey

Suzuki, Hitoshi; Ohira, Tetsuya; Takeishi, Yasuchika; Hosoya, Mitsuaki; Yasumura, Seiji; Satoh, Hiroaki; Kawasaki, Yukihiko; Takahashi, Atsushi; Sakai, Akira; Ohtsuru, Akira; Kobashi, Gén; Ozasa, Kotaro; Yamashita, Shunichi; Kamiya, Kenji; Abe, Masafumi

doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2015.06.151

Cited by 43 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…9 After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the incidence of reported cardioembolic stroke increased in the 3-9 months following the disaster, 10 as did the incidence of other cardiovascular diseases. [11][12][13][14] Our study contributes to the reported incidence of cardiovascular disease using self-report questionnaires rather than death certificates and by demonstrating that exacerbated cardiovascular symptoms occurred among evacuees after the disaster.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Several previous studies have identified changes in the incidence of cardiovascular events following disasters, but the results are conflicting. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] A recent study reported a heterogeneous occurrence of cardiovascular events after the Great East Japan Earthquake, 2 while another study reported a significant increase in the incidence of cardioembolic stroke after the earthquake. 10 However, neither study examined the incidence of perceived cardiovascular disease symptoms after a disaster, nor did they focus on the effect of refugee socioeconomic status on health problems during the evacuation period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of socioeconomic factors on cardiovascular-related symptoms among residents in Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake: a cross-sectional study using data from the Fukushima Health Management Survey

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between socioeconomic factors and the exacerbation of cardiovascular symptoms among evacuees after the Great East Japan Earthquake.MethodsA sample of 73 433 individuals was included in the Fukushima Health Management Survey. Self-report questionnaires were used to determine the influence of socioeconomic factors including living arrangements, loss of employment and decreased income on the exacerbation of headache, dizziness, palpitations and shortness of breath. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of the effect of socioeconomic factors were estimated for each symptom using multiple logistic regression analyses.ResultsExacerbation of headaches was reported by 1893 individuals, dizziness by 1229, palpitations by 1085 and shortness of breath by 626 individuals. Evacuation accommodation was associated with all of these symptoms. Compared with participants living in their own home (OR=1.00), individuals living in relatives’ homes had increased probability of experiencing exacerbation of headache (1.58; 95% CI 1.19 to 2.09) and dizziness (1.42; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.98); those living in rental housing or apartments experienced exacerbation of headache (1.54; 95% CI 1.32 to 1.80), dizziness (1.45; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.75), palpitations (1.25; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.51) and shortness of breath (1.76; 95% CI 1.35 to 2.28); participants living in evacuation shelters experienced exacerbation of headache (1.80; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.96); and refugees living in temporary housing also experienced exacerbation of headache (1.42; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.72), dizziness (1.40; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.79) and shortness of breath (1.49; 95% CI 1.07 to 2.08). Compared with the evacuees who retained their jobs, unemployed individuals showed increased probability of exacerbation of headache (1.28, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.46), dizziness (1.26, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.48) and palpitations (1.21, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.45). Decreased income was associated with exacerbation of headache (1.39, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.60).ConclusionAfter the earthquake, living in non-home conditions was more likely to result in exacerbated cardiovascular symptoms among evacuees. Loss of employment was another risk factor related to exacerbated headache and dizziness.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of socioeconomic factors on cardiovascular-related symptoms among residents in Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake: a cross-sectional study using data from the Fukushima Health Management Survey

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We previously reported an increase in hypertension (Ohira et al, 2014), diabetes mellitus (Satoh et al, 2015), atrial fibrillation (Suzuki et al, 2015), hypo-high-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia (Satoh et al, 2016), and obesity (Ohira et al, 2016a, Ohira et al, 2016b) after the GEJE. Furthermore, we revealed a high prevalence of polycythemia among evacuees in our previous and current investigations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other environmental or socioeconomic factors, such as changes in living condition and job status, may have influenced the association between evacuation and risk of polycythemia in the present study. In the mental health and lifestyle survey by the FHMS, 54% of survey respondents changed their job status and 21% lost their job (Yabe et al, 2014, Suzuki et al, 2015). Whether such changes in job status among the evacuees affects the prevalence of polycythemia has yet to be determined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent prevalence of polycythemia among evacuees 4 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake: A follow-up study

Sakai

Nakano

Ohira

et al. 2017

Preventive Medicine Reports

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We previously reported that the lifestyle of evacuees significantly increased the prevalence of polycythemia compared with non-evacuees at an average of 1.6 years (2011–2012) from the previous annual health checkup before the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). Here we analyzed how the prolonged evacuation affected the prevalence of polycythemia an average of 2.5 years (2013–2014) after the previous data. Subjects were individuals aged 40–90 years living in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture who had attended the annual health checkups since 2008. The prevalence of polycythemia and changes in its defining factors of red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb) level, hematocrit (Ht) level were compared between before and after the GEJE in 7713 individuals (3349 men and 4364 women) receiving follow-up examinations both 2011–2012 and 2013–2014. RBC, Hb levels and Ht levels in 2011–2012 were higher among evacuees than non-evacuees in both men and women. However, all levels in 2013–2014 were on the decline from those in 2011–2012. On the other hand, among evacuees, Hb and Ht levels continued to be higher than before the GEJE in both men and women evacuees. The prevalence of polycythemia, which was diagnosed if one of the defining factors was beyond the standard value, was significantly higher among evacuees than non-evacuees regardless of the presence or the absence of overweight/obesity, smoking, and hypertension. Therefore, prolonged evacuation is a cause of polycythemia even 3 to 4 years after the GEJE and regular health management of evacuees is important.

show abstract

“…The survey was launched to monitor the long-term health of residents and comprises four detailed surveys, including a comprehensive health check for all residents from evacuation zones. Some reports have shown an increase in cardiovascular disease, stroke, and peptic ulcers after a disaster 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. However, few reports have examined changes in liver function after a disaster 8 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of evacuation on liver function after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

Takahashi

Ohira

Hosoya

et al. 2017

Journal of Epidemiology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused residents to switch from their normal lives to lives focused on evacuation. We evaluated liver function before and after this disaster to elucidate the effects of evacuation on liver function.MethodsThis study was a longitudinal survey of 26,006 Japanese men and women living near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This study was undertaken using data from annual health checkups conducted for persons aged 40–90 years between 2008 and 2010. Follow-up examinations were conducted from June 2011 to the end of March 2013, with a mean follow up of 1.6 years. Changes in liver function before and after the disaster were compared among evacuees and non-evacuees. We also assessed groups according to alcohol drinking status.ResultsThe prevalence of liver dysfunction significantly increased in all participants from 16.4% before to 19.2% after the disaster. The incidence of liver dysfunction was significantly higher in evacuees than in non-evacuees. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that evacuation was significantly associated with liver dysfunction among residents.ConclusionsThis is the first study to show that evacuation due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster was associated with an increase in liver dysfunction.

show abstract

Increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation after the Great East Japan Earthquake: Results from the Fukushima Health Management Survey

Cited by 43 publications

References 29 publications

Effects of socioeconomic factors on cardiovascular-related symptoms among residents in Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake: a cross-sectional study using data from the Fukushima Health Management Survey

Effects of socioeconomic factors on cardiovascular-related symptoms among residents in Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake: a cross-sectional study using data from the Fukushima Health Management Survey

Persistent prevalence of polycythemia among evacuees 4 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake: A follow-up study

Effect of evacuation on liver function after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About