Association between the extent of house collapse and urine sodium-to-potassium ratio of victims affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

People who experience natural disasters have a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the association between the extent of house collapse and urine sodium-to-potassium (UNa/K) ratio of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake victims. We used the baseline survey data of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Community-Based Cohort Study of 29 542 individuals (aged 20–74 years) residing in the affected areas. The UNa/K ratio was calculated using spot urinary electrolyte values. Analysis of covariance was used to calculate the multivariate-adjusted geometric means of the UNa/K ratio in the following groups stratified according to the self-reported extent of house collapse: total collapse (TC), half collapse (HC), partial collapse (PC), and no damage (ND). Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for a high UNa/K ratio were calculated using logistic regression. The TC, HC, PC, and ND groups comprised 5 359 (18.1%), 3 576 (12.1%), 7 331 (24.8%), and 13 276 (44.9%) participants, respectively. The TC (3.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.28–3.38), HC (3.37; 3.30–3.43), and PC (3.32; 3.28–3.37) groups had significantly higher multivariate-adjusted geometric means of the UNa/K ratio than the ND (3.24; 3.21–3.27) group. The multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for a high UNa/K ratio in the TC, HC, and PC groups vs. the ND group were 1.07 (0.99–1.15), 1.20 (1.11–1.31), and 1.20 (1.12–1.28), respectively. Similar associations between house collapse and UNa/K ratio were observed for both sexes. We report that victims of a natural disaster tend to have a diet with high sodium-to-potassium ratio.