Effect of the Great East Japan Earthquake on Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Background: We reported an increased occurrence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) after the Great East Japan Earthquake by examining ambulance records, but it had to be confirmed by cardiologists. Methods and Results: We enrolled patients admitted to the cardiology department of the 10 hospitals in the disaster area from 4 weeks prior to 15 weeks after March 11 in the years 2008–2011 (n=14,078). The weekly occurrence of several CVDs, including heart failure (HF), pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) and infectious endocarditis (IE), was sharply and significantly increased after the Earthquake. Conclusions: The Disaster caused significantly increases in the occurrence of HF, PTE and IE. (Circ J 2013; 77: 490–493)