Multicenter investigation of lifestyle‐related diseases and visceral disorders in thalidomide embryopathy at around 50 years of age

Abstract

BackgroundIn utero exposure to thalidomide causes a wide range of birth defects, including phocomelia, hearing loss and visceral disorders, known as thalidomide embryopathy (TE). Fifty years after the first report of TE, we conducted the first cross‐sectional multicenter study to investigate the development of lifestyle‐related diseases and identify risk factors for visceral disorders in subjects with TE.MethodsSeventy‐six cases with TE (31 men, 45 women) underwent medical examinations between 2011 and 2014 to determine the types of TE‐related anomalies (limbs, auditory organs, or visceral organs) and lifestyle‐related diseases present. Logistic multiple regression analyses, adjusted for gender and age, were conducted between TE and lifestyle‐related diseases and to evaluate association between block vertebra and gallbladder aplasia.ResultsFatty liver (FL), nonalcoholic FL disease and dyslipidemia were detected in 52.6%, 35.0%, and 23.7% of subjects, respectively, with higher incidences among men. Dyslipidemia was detected in 40.0% of subjects with FL and was significantly associated with FL (odds ratio = 8.86; p = 0.008). Block vertebrae were detected in 44.4% of subjects with gallbladder aplasia, and this association was significant (odds ratio = 9.96; p = 0.006).ConclusionSubjects with TE have also a risk for lifestyle‐related disease as well as the general Japanese population. In addition, cervical spine radiography and magnetic resonance imaging are recommended to assess block vertebrae in subjects with TE with gallbladder aplasia who develop shoulder pain. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 103:787–793, 2015. © 2015 The Authors Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The health and quality of life of Thalidomide survivors as they age – Evidence from a UK survey

“…Again, these health problems may be more difficult to manage or exacerbated by Thalidomide damage. A recent Japanese study [30] suggests that hypertension is a particular concern because of the difficulties many Thalidomide survivors experience in exercising and managing weight, and the challenge of obtaining accurate blood pressure and body mass index measurements in people with limb impairments.…”

A nationwide survey regarding the life situations of patients with thalidomide embryopathy in Japan, 2018: First report

“…Actually, a substantial portion of thalidomiders suffers from these lifestyle‐related diseases. Therefore, it should be recognized that thalidomiders are at a high risk for the development of lifestyle‐related diseases, as reported elsewhere (Shiga et al, ). As for other comorbidities, the rate of bowel and digestive problems is smaller in Japan (10.9%) than in Germany and the UK (43.1% and 28%, respectively), which shows that the distribution of comorbidities among thalidomiders varies by country.…”

“…However, several surveys focusing on the physical or orthopedic situations of thalidomiders have recently been conducted (Ghassemi Jahani et al, ; Ghassemi Jahani et al, ; Ghassemi Jahani, Danielson, Karlsson, & Danielsson, ; Ghassemi Jahani, Danielsson, Karlsson, & Brisby, ; Kowalski, Sanseverino, Schuler‐Faccini, et al, ). For example, one recent study focused mainly on lifestyle‐related diseases among middle‐aged thalidomiders (Shiga, Shimbo, & Yoshizawa, ), while a few others investigated internal organ and vascular anomalies using imaging screening (Tajima, Wada, & Yoshizawa, ; Weinrich et al, ). In addition, reports have been published on mental disorders and psychological problems in thalidomiders in Sweden and Japan (Ghassemi Jahani, Karlsson, et al, ; Imai et al, ), and on peripheral nerve dysfunction in thalidomiders in the UK (Nicotra et al, ).…”

“…A multicenter survey conducted from 2011 to 2014 in Japan by a previous research group (Shiga et al, ) organized by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) aimed to clarify the medical health statuses of thalidomiders aged around 50 years in respect to the frequency of lifestyle‐related diseases and associated problems. However, that survey did not investigate socioeconomic factors such as gaps in healthcare and social status between thalidomiders and the general population in the same age cohort in Japan.…”

“The legacy of thalidomide” ‐ A multidisciplinary meeting held at the University of York, United Kingdom, on September 30, 2016

“…Liz Newbronner (PhD student, Department of Health Sciences, University of York) then described her research on the contemporary health of thalidomide survivors in the United Kingdom. Despite the drug being distributed in 48 countries, little research into the health of thalidomide survivors as they age has been undertaken and the research that has been carried out is limited to just seven countries: Australia (Jankelowitz et al, ), Canada (Vermette and Benegabi, ), Germany (Peters et al, ), Ireland (O'Carroll et al, ), Japan (Shiga et al, ), Sweden (Ghassami Jahani et al, ), and the United Kingdom (Nicotra et al, ).…”