Who needs care? - The long-term trends and geographical distribution of deaths due to acute myocardial infarction in Fukushima Prefecture following the Great East Japan Earthquake. (December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tsuboi, Satoshi; Mine, Tomosa; Kanke, Satoshi; Ohira, Tetsuya
• Is Part Of: International journal of disaster risk reduction. Volume 41(2020)
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Subjects: Acute myocardial infarction -- Disaster -- Earthquake -- The Great East Japan Earthquake -- Fukushima -- Risk management; Emergency management -- Periodicals; Risk management -- Periodicals; Disaster relief -- Periodicals; Hazard mitigation -- Periodicals; 363.34
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101318
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2212-4209

Abstract

Abstract: We investigated the long-term trends and geographical distribution of deaths due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Fukushima Prefecture before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which took place on March 11, 2011. A descriptive study was conducted using governmental statistics from 2008 to 2016. Age-adjusted mortality rate was used to observe trends of death due to AMI at the prefectural level, as well as standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for a geographical distribution at the district level. In Fukushima Prefecture, the trend of the age-adjusted mortality rates of AMI was upward from 2010 to 2012, and downward thereafter until 2016. The SMR of AMI was 2.0 in the eastern area of Fukushima Prefecture, 1.7 in the middle area, and 1.3 in the western area during the period from 2009 to 2010. Similarly, from 2013 to 2014, it was 2.2 in the eastern area, 2.2 in the middle area, and 1.9 in the western area. In the evacuation area, on the contrary, the SMR of AMI was 1.9 from 2009 to 2010, 1.4 from 2011 to 2012, and 1.3 from 2013 to 2014. We found that, although the deaths due to AMI in the evacuation area decreased from 2011 to 2014, they increased overall in the three areas during the same period. The target area of health-care for AMI following a disaster should be wider reaching. To support the local government's effective decision-making in the future, long-term epidemiologic monitoring should be conducted shortly after the occurrence of a natural disaster.