Abstract WP181: Impact Of The Great East Japan Earthquake On Stroke Incidence Among Survivors In Sanriku Coastal Area.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the effects of tsunami-related lifestyle resulting from the Great East Japan Earthquake on stroke incidence among survivors in Pacific coastal area of Japan. Design: A retrospective study. Setting: Iwate Medical University, Japan. Participants: 4120 Japanese, living in the coastal area who survived from the tsunami disaster. They are living in temporary shelters in 3 major districts of the Sanriku coastal area (Town of Yamada, Otsuchi and Takada). Their clinical data including blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI) were examined and compared with those before the tsunami disaster which were examined 12 months before the disaster. Changes of BP and BMI representing tsunami-related lifestyle were analyzed and compared before and after the disaster and correlated with stroke incidence of these 3 areas. Primary outcome measure: Number of stroke patients. Secondary outcome measures: Changes of BP, BMI (body mass index). Results: Levels of BMI before the disaster (23.3kg/m 2 ) continued to increase after 24 months (25.8kg/m 2 ) among survivors in Takada area indicating poor living conditions compared to other areas (p<0.05). Systolic BP (SBP) after 24 months among survivors in Takada area were also higher (158.2+22.4mmHg) compared to that before the disaster (133.4+34.5mmHg) while they were taking anti-hypertensive medications (p<0.05). Stroke incidence among people with increased BMI was abruptly increased from 2.3 to 5.7 patients/month before and after the disaster (p<0.05). Conclusions: Prolonged poor health including increased BP and BMI may contribute to the abrupt increase of stroke incidence 1 year after tsunami disaster.