The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
-
Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Jul 2022
The Mental Health of Long-Term Evacuees outside Fukushima Prefecture after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Ten years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, thousands of residents of Fukushima Prefecture were still living as evacuees. Among them, unignorable numbers of people were living outside of the prefecture. A survey was conducted with evacuees to Ibaraki, the neighboring prefecture of Fukushima, to investigate their medium- to long-term mental care needs. ⋯ Of the participants, 16.5% had a high risk for major depressive disorder, 39.0% exhibited a high risk for PTSD, and 19.7% indicated suicidal ideation. "Own injuries and illnesses" and "Worries about the hometown" were risk factors for major depressive disorder, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. "Not receiving compensation for damages" was a risk factor common to major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation. There is a high possibility that many people who have evacuated to other prefectures might still be suffering from psychological symptoms after the disaster. Worries about their hometowns were highly related to their mental disorders.
-
Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Jul 2022
Case ReportsRefractory Chest Pain in Mild to Moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019 Successfully Treated with Saikanto, a Japanese Traditional Medicine.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes a variety of pain symptoms in the acute phase. Severe chest pain suddenly occurs even without abnormalities on examination and is sometimes refractory to analgesics. Such pain is a clinical concern in care facilities with limited resources, and this is the first report on the use of saikanto for its treatment. ⋯ The cause of the chest pain experienced by these patients is unclear, but we speculate that it could be minimal pleural inflammation or neuropathy. Previous pharmacological studies have suggested anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of the crude drugs that constitute saikanto. This case report suggests that saikanto could be a treatment option for chest pain refractory to analgesics in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.