Status-Que of Bronchial Asthma in Children in Akita Prefecture Report No.1, Present condition of bronchial asthma in elementary and junior high school pupils / 日本農村医学会雑誌

Our survey was conducted at 522 elementary schools and junior high schools in Akita prefecture in July 1981. Thus the survey was intended for 105, 137 elementary school pupils bnd 51, 029 junior high school pupils. Questionnaires were sent to teachers in charge at each school. The return rate of questionnaires wan 98.4 % for elementary school and 100.0 % for junior high school. The rate of bronchial asthma was 1.2 %(boy 1.5 %, girl 0.9 %) in elementary school pupils and 0.6 %(boy 0.8 %, girl 0.5 %) in junior high school pupils. The number of schools where pupils with bronchial asthma were found was 205 elementary schools (56.0 %) and 71 junior high schools (47.0 %). The rate of bronchial asthma in boys was greater than girls, by 1.7 times in case of elementary school and 1.6 times in junior high school. The rate of bronchial asthma in urban children was 1.2 %, while that in rural children was 0.8 %. Out of the children interpreted as bronchial asthma at the time of our survey 82.4 % of the elementary school children and 77.6 % of the junior high school children with bronchial asthma were or had been undergoing apropriate treatment. The rate of children who are absent from school due to asthma more than 10 days a year was 24.4 % in elementary school and 26.7 % in junior high school.

Study on Labor and Health Problems of the Middle and High Aged in Rural Districts; from the view point of laboratory blood findings / 日本農村医学会雑誌

We have examined the influence labor causing upon health for inhabitants at Yuri district in Akita prefecture. Labor was defined in the light of the following factors ; style of agricultural management, field space, working days, working time a day, etc. Health was defined in the light of the following factors; red blood cell, hemoglobin, cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, fast blood sugar, choline estelase, GPT, uric acid, alkaline phosphatase, obesity rate and blood pressure. 1) We discovered that in case of male workers the great amount of labor they engaged in, the higher level average index of HDL-ch and GPT reached. As the labor amount increases more numbers of patient appears with abnormality in choline estelase. We have not observed the similar tendency for female.<BR>2) As the labor amount decrease (a) in case of male workers the average index gets higher in cholesterol, triglyceride, FBS and choline estelase, (b) in case of female workers the average index gets higher in triglyceride, FBS, choline estelase, uric acid and albumin. As the labor amount decreases (a) in case of male workers abnormality rate increases in choline estelase, triglyceride and HDL-ch, (b) in case of female Hb, HDL-ch, cholesterol and obesity. 3) For inhabitants over 70 years old male or female those living in plain and open field (Nishime town) are more active and show the lower percentage of getting ill than those in mountains (Higashiyuri town).

Field Study on Obese Women in Rural District / 日本農村医学会雑誌

The rate of obesity both in man and woman in this district reached the highest (male 18.1%, female 27.8% Minowa Method) in 1978, but has been decreasing since then. It came down to 16.5% in case of male adults and 23.0% in case of female adults. These figures clearly show that the obese rate of female is higher than that of male. Skin-fold thickness meassurement corresponded to direct meassurement performed at the time of gastrectomy (=0.956). Compared with rate of obesity (Minowa Method) skin-fold thickness measurement proved particularly corresponding in navel area of male and in back of female. Regarding relationship between obesity and morbidity, a greater number of thin people suffered from atony or ptosis of the stomach or anemia. On the contrary the following diseases were more common with people as they grew fatter; hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart diseases and diabetes mellitus. Patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension who succeeded in losing weight improved their conditions or completely recovered. Our survey conducted in 1978 proved that residents over the age of forty in our district were not well aware of their obesity. Few of them were concious that their obesity were due to over-feeding. Regarding the effect of weight control conducted at three groups, instituts for the handicapped showed the most effective and successful result, 68.0% succeeded in losing more than 4 kg in a year at the instituts. The rate is incredibly high compared with 33.0% at our obesity clinic or 4.3% at field.

Mass Survey for Diabetes Mellitus by a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) as the First Screening / 日本農村医学会雑誌

We have carried out the mass survey for diabetes mellitus by a 50 g GTT as the first screening since 1971. Average incidences of diabetic pattern, IGT pattern, borderline pattern and normal pattern in a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) were 2.3±1.8%, 6.6±1.7%, 19.8±6.6% and 71.4 ±7.8%, respectively. 21 males and 6 females were found to be diabetic by this survey for 11 years. Insulinogenic indices (I. Is.) of diabetic, IGT, borderline and normal patterns were 0.13±0.07, 0.70±0.37, 0.58±0.40 and 1.05±0.30, respectively, and the values of I. I. in diabetics and borderline diabetics were significantly lower than that in the normal pattern. A I. I. in the subjects who have revealed the normal glucose tolerance every year for 11 year, 2.62±1.28, was high in the normal range. On the other hand, a I. I. in the subjects who became overtly diabetic from the IGT, borderline or normal pattern, 0.36±0.31, was significantly lower. Therefore, taking into consideration that one of the characteristics of NIDDM is low insulin response to glucose, the mass survey for diabetes mellitus should be carried out by a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) as the first screening with the measurement of plasma insulin concentrations. A follow-up study for the low insulin responder is considered to be one of the most preferable investigations for the detection of the early stage of diabetes mellitus.