Abstract P090: Socioeconomic Factors After a Disaster Were Associated with Cardiovascular-Related Symptoms: Fukushima Health Management Survey
Authors: Wen Zhang, Tetsuya Ohira, Michiko Yuki, Mayumi Harigane, Naoko Horikoshi, Yuriko Suzuki, Akira Ohtsuru, Hirooki Yabe, Masaharu Maeda, Masato Nagai, Hironori Nakano, Hideto Takahashi, Seiji Yasumura, Shunichi Yamashita, Masafumi Abe
Journal: Circulation (2015)

Introduction:  The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 2011, which followed by a gigantic tsunami and the radiation of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, was a big disaster in Japan. The survivors lived in long-lasting anxiety due to the worry about radiation and the deterioration of daily-life  Hypothesis:  We accessed the hypothesis that worse socioeconomic status due to the earthquake was associated with the exacerbation of cardiovascular-related symptoms among evacuees.   Methods:  73,433 subjects were included in Fukushima Health Management survey, a large-scale cohort study among evacuees after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The subjects were excluded if they did not report their living conditions. Therefore, the data of 54,658 subjects (24,330 men and 30,328 women≧15 years) were used.  The exacerbation of headache, dizziness, palpitation, shortness of breath was determined based on the self-report questionnaire. Socioeconomic factors included living arrangement: evacuation shelter or temporary housing, rental house or apartment, relatives9 home or own home; becoming unemployed, decreased income and change of work. Adjustment variables included age, sex, depression, traumatic symptoms, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and heart disease. The ORs and 95% CIs were estimated by using multiple logistic regression analyses.   Results:  We identified 1,375 individuals reported the exacerbation of headache, 881 reports of dizziness, 768 reports of palpitation and 434 reports of shortness of breath. The multiple logistic regression analyses showed that living in rental apartments was associated with all the above symptoms. Comparing with the participants living in relatives’ home or own home, the odds ratios and 95% CIs among the ones living in rental apartments was 1.51 (1.31-1.74) for headache, 1.43 (1.05-1.66) for dizziness, 1.25 (1.04-1.49) for palpitation, 1.69 (1.32-2.15) for shortness of breath. Living in evacuation shelter or temporary housing was also associated with headache (1.42; 95%CI 1.17-1.72), dizziness (1.32; 95%CI 1.05-1.66) and shortness of breath (1.53; 95%CI 1.13-2.07), considering the participants living in relatives’ home or own home as references. Becoming unemployed was another risk factor. Comparing with the evacuees without losing jobs, the odds ratios and 95% CIs among job-losers was 1.29 (1.13-1.48) for headache and 1.28 (1.09-1.51) for dizziness. There was no association between change of work or decreased income and the exacerbation of cardiovascular-related symptoms .    Conclusion:  The present study suggest after the earthquake, living in rental house, apartment, evacuation shelter or temporary housing, rather than relatives9 home or own home were more likely to have the exacerbation of cardiovascular-related symptoms among evacuees. Becoming unemployed was another risk factor of the exacerbation of headache and dizziness.