RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The characteristics of pneumonia in a stricken area after the great East Japan earthquake
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P300
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Satoshi Ubukata
A1 Takehiro Yajima
A1 Daisuke Jingu
A1 Makoto Shoji
A1 Hiroshi Watanabe
A1 Hiroshi Takahashi
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P300.abstract
AB Background: There is no accurate data of the characteristics of pneumonia after the catastrophic disaster, because the investigation and examination cannot be performed sufficiently. Although the Shiogama-Tagajo area was severely struck by the 3.11 earthquake, we were able to perform bacterial and other tests continuously at a near-normal level.Objectives: The aim was to ascertain the clinical picture of pneumonia during the early period after the 3.11 earthquake.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adult patients with pneumonia visited to our institutions during the first 3 weeks after the earthquake (from 12 March to 1 April). The patients visited during the 10-week period (from 1 January to 11 March 2011) were defined as a control group.Results: A total of 173 patients (before: n=90, after: n=83) were evaluated. The number of patients increased 3 times per week and peaked in the 2nd week after the earthquake. There was no obvious change in patient characteristics before and after the earthquake (mean age: 73.5±17.1 vs. 75.9±14.6 years, p=0.32; the number of performance status 3-4, 24 (26.7%) vs. 22 (26.5%), p=0.98; mortality, 7.8% vs. 9.6%, p=0.66). In microbiology data, the rate of purulent sputum samples rose from 48.9% to 60.2%. The isolation frequency of Haemophilus influenzae (14.4% vs. 32.5%, p<0.05) and Moraxella catarrhalis (4.4% vs. 31.3%, p<0.01) increased significantly. In contrast, Streptococcus pneumoniae and other pathogens did not increase.Conclusions: There was no difference in patient characteristics before and after the earthquake, but as bacteriological profile, H.influenzae and M.catarrhalis increased significantly in the Shiogama-Tagajo area.