Abstract 14145: The Impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on Acute Myocardial Infarction in Fukushima Prefecture

Abstract

Background: On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake hit a large area of East Japan where enormous damage was inflicted. In Fukushima Prefecture, many people suffered from the consequence of the earthquake, the subsequent tsunami, and the specific Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. It has been reported that the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) increased following a huge disaster such as an earthquake. We, therefore, examined how this enormous disaster affected the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in 2011 using the registry study of AMI in Fukushima Prefecture that we have conducted since 2009.

Methods: The Fukushima Prefecture AMI Registration Survey was established in 2009, and a total of 36 hospitals that treated AMI patients participated in this registry. All AMI patients of Fukushima Prefecture were covered and transferred to the 36 participating hospitals. We extracted the data from the Fukushima Prefecture AMI Registration Survey and analyzed those in details based on the areas and the period.

Results: The total number of Fukushima’s annual AMI patients in 2011 was almost identical to that in 2009 and 2010 (n=772, 786 and 770, respectively). However the incidence of AMI increased at the first week and fourth week after the earthquake in the Kenpoku district and at the third and fourth week after the earthquake in the Kenchu district. These increases could be explained by the direct affect of the earthquake. In the Iwaki district, the incidence of AMI did not increase within one month after the earthquake, but increased in several months later and the number of AMI patients in 2011 increased by almost 40% compared with the previous 2 years. Population growth due to the evacuation from radioactive leakage accounted for the increase of AMI patients in the Iwaki district.

Conclusion: The Great East Japan Earthquake affected the incidence of AMI in only limited areas after the earthquake in Fukushima Prefecture.