@article {UbukataP300, author = {Satoshi Ubukata and Takehiro Yajima and Daisuke Jingu and Makoto Shoji and Hiroshi Watanabe and Hiroshi Takahashi}, title = {The characteristics of pneumonia in a stricken area after the great East Japan earthquake}, volume = {42}, number = {Suppl 57}, elocation-id = {P300}, year = {2013}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {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{\textpm}17.1 vs. 75.9{\textpm}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.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P300}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P300.full.pdf}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }