ABSTRACT
The kind of respiratory disease, age, and areas where patients came from, were analyzed in 763 patients with COPD admitted at our hospital for last 7 years from 1992 to 1998. 1. For the last 7 years 886 patients with respiratory diseases were admitted at our hospital. Of these patients, 763 (86.1%) were those with COPD. Of the 763, 613 (80.3%) were patients with asthma, 27 with chronic bronchitis, 41 with obstructive bronchiolitis, and 87 with pulmonary emphysema. 2. The number of patients with pulmonary emphysema showed a tendency to increase. 3. The number of patients from distant areas was considerably larger (43.8% in 1997, 53.4% in 1998) compared to the number of patients from Tottori prefecture. The number of patients from Okayama, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Ehime prefectures was predominantly larger than the number of patients from other distant areas. 4. Regarding the age distribution of these patients, the number of patients over the age of 60 was predominantly larger than the number of patients under the age of 59: patients between the ages of 60 and 69 were more frequently observed in those coming from distant areas (outside Tottori prefecture), and those over the age of 70 in those coming from Tottori prefecture.
ABSTRACT
Effects of spa therapy on psychological factors were examined in 15 patients with bronchial asthma (10 females and 5 males, mean age 55.0 years) by CMI (Cornell Medical Index), SDS (Selfrating Depression Scale), CAI (Comprehensive Asthma Inventory) and SD (Semantic Differential). The results of these psychological examinations were compared before and after spa therapy for 1-2 months.<br>1. In CMI, mean point of physical symptoms decreased from 37.7 before spa therapy to 29.7 after the therapy. Mean improvement rate of the symptoms was 73.3%. The mean improvement rate was observed in 60.0% of respiratory symptoms, 66.7% of CIJ symptoms and 46.7% in psychical symptoms.<br>2. In SDS, many patients showed more than 40 points, suggesting that they have depressive mental state. The mean point decreased from 42.9 to 40.7 by spa therapy.<br>3. In CAI, categories of mental state, extent of conditioning, suggestion, fear of expectation, dependency, frustration and flight into illness, were clearly improved by spa therapy.<br>4. It was shown in SD that character of patients changed with beneficial trend for therapy of asthma after spa therapy.<br>These results suggest that psychological disorders of patients with bronchial asthma are improved by spa therapy.
ABSTRACT
Effect of long-term intake of spa water on gastric mucosal blood flow was evaluated using an endoscopic organ reflex spectrophotometry together with an Olympus XQ-10 forward-viewing gastrofiberscope. Three healthy volunteers and nine patients with gastric diseases in remission (six with healed gastric ulcer and three with chronic gastritis) underwent two-week treatment consisting of daily intake of Misasa spa water (weakly radon containing bicarbonate salt spring, 38 to 42°C, 200ml, two times a day between meals), and gastric mucosal blood flow was measured at three spots of the stomach (lesser curvature of the pylorus, antrm, and angle) before and after the treatment period. Life style and medication were kept unchanged during the period. The following results were obtained:<br>1) Gastric mucosal blood flows (IHb) measured before and after the treatment were respectively 95.0±18.0 and 98.2±15.4 at the pylorus, 104.8±16.9 and 110.8±12.8 at the antrum, 116.1±20.4 and 118.7±18.5 at the angle.<br>2) Values measured after the treatment were higher than those measured before the treatment at pylorus in 75% of the patients and at the antrum and angle in 67% of the pa-tients.<br>3) However, assessment of the mean values before and after the treatment using the student's paired t-test revealed a significant increase in blood flow (P<0.05) only at the antrum.<br>Further studies are in progress to determine (1) the clinical significance of the improvement in gastric mucosal blood flow, such as the maintenance of remission, and (2) the characteristics of gastric diseases which are likely to respond favorably to the treament of taking spa water.
ABSTRACT
Short-term effects of spa-drink therapy on gastric mucosal blood flow were evaluated using endoscopic organ reflex spectrophotometry together with an Olympus XQ-10 forward-viewing gastrofiberscope.<br>Thirty-eight subjects were divided into three groups by random sampling: 12 subjects to a group for injecting hot spring water (38 to 40°C, 150ml), 12 subjects to a group for injecting warm tap water (38 to 40°C, 150ml), and 14 subjects to a groups for injecting warm air (150ml). Hot spring water, tap water, or air was injected into the stomach through the fiberscopic injection channel. Gastric mucosal blood flow was measured immediately before and 10 minutes after the injection on the three points of gastric mucosa: lesser curvature of the angle, and that of the antrum, and the pylorus.<br>The following results were obtained:<br>1) Hot spring water was more effective in increasing gastric mucosal blood flow than air. The difference was statistically significant on all of the three points.<br>2) Hot spring water was more effective in increasing gastric mucosal blood flow than tap water. The difference, however, was significant only on the mucosa of the gastric antrum.<br>In conclusion, spa-drink therapy was useful for treating chronic gastritis and gastric ulcer in which impairment of gastric mucosal blood flow plays an important pathogenetic role. Studies on the long-term effects of spa-drink therapy on the gastric mucosal blood flow are now under way.
ABSTRACT
The effect of spa-drink (Misasa hot spring) on exocrine pancreatic function was studied in controls and drink therapy group. To examine exocrine pancreatic function, two different methods were used for determination of pancreatic chymotrypsin activity. One was a colorimetric method for the determination of fecal chymotrypsin activity and the other was PFD fest. Following conclusions were obtained.<br>1) With spa-drink therapy, fecal chymotrypsin activity was raised in 2 weeks in 40% of patients, while it remained unchanged in the next 2 weeks.<br>2) With spa-drink therapy, PFD value was raised in 2 weeks in 50% of patients, while it returned to the pre-treatment value in the next 2 weeks.<br>3) Spa-drink therapy for 2 weeks was effective for improving exocrine pancreatic function.