The incidence of diabetes among the non-diabetic residents in Kawauchi village, Fukushima, who experienced evacuation after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster

OBJECTIVES@#After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011, residents of Kawauchi village who experienced evacuation had a high risk of suffering from diabetes and metabolic syndrome compared with non-evacuees. In addition to evacuation, lifestyle characteristics can be important factors influencing the development and prognosis of diabetes or glucose tolerance. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of evacuation (i.e., lifestyle changes) on the incidence of diabetes among the non-diabetic residents of Kawauchi village.@*METHODS@#Design is retrospective cohort study. Annual health examination data of residents of Kawauchi village and control area (Ono town) in Fukushima prefecture from 2008 to 2017, as available from the Japanese National Health Insurance system. Participants were classified into three groups: "Diabetes (DM)" (FBG ≥ 126 mg/dL or HbA1c ≥ 6.5% or hospital visit for DM or usage of diabetic medication), "Borderline DM" (126 mg/dL > FBG ≥ 110 mg/dL or 6.5% > HbA1c ≥ 6.0%, and without hospital visit, and without diabetic medication), and "Normoglycemic" (FBG < 110 mg/dL and HbA1c < 6.0%, and without hospital visit, and without diabetic medication). New onset of diabetes was evaluated and the events or missing data were occurred at health checkup. For this survival analysis, 339 residents in Kawauchi and 598 residents in Ono were included. Average follow-up periods after 2010 were 3.9 years in Kawauchi village and 3.6 years in Ono town.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the normoglycemic group, incidence of DM was much greater in the borderline DM group, where DM occurred among 38.2% of the group in 2012 and increased to over 60% cumulatively through 2017 in Kawauchi village. DM had a prevalence of 16.3% in 2012, and below 30% in 2017 in borderline DM group of Ono town. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was applied to non-DM groups at both study sites separately to evaluate the effects of lifestyle changes at each site. While BMI, BMI change, and the lack of regular exercise (HR = 1.29, 1.72, and 5.04, respectively) showed significant associations with the onset of diabetes in Ono town, only BMI and late-night dinner (HR = 1.21 and 4.86, respectively) showed significant associations with diabetes onset in Kawauchi village.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The current results confirmed that diabetes incidence was increased 6 years after the Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Kawauchi. We also found changes in lifestyle habits, suggesting that diabetes prevention with promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors is an urgent priority.

The Experiences of Pharmacists and Future Subjects in Regards to the Ingestion of Stable-Iodide Caused by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident / 社会薬学

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) Accident happened in Fukushima prefecture in March, 2011 and various efforts have been carried out to prevent health damage, including thyroid cancer, caused by radioactive-iodide. In this present report, we tried to discover whether stable-iodide for the prevention against the development of thyroid cancer was properly administered to radioactive-iodide-exposed persons or not. Since pharmacists play an important role in the treatment of stable-iodide, we investigated how the pharmacists in Fukushima contributed to the treatment of stable iodide in the FDNPP accident. In addition, we introduce a new revised method for the treatment of stable iodide published by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, discuss the important role of pharmacists in the Nuclear Power Plant Accident, and propose possible ways of preparation to protect the health of citizens.