According to a research group led by Professor Ryoko Ishida of Hiroshima University Graduate School, the number of elderly victims of the 2018 western Japan heavy rain disaster was increasing who were prescribed the Chinese herbal medicine "Yokukansan" used for psychiatric symptoms. Do you get it.It was shown that Chinese herbs may have played a major role in medical care for the elderly in the event of a disaster.
Japan is rare in the world, and doctors can prescribe traditional Chinese medicine under the public insurance system.Chinese herbs are often used for chronic symptoms, but the actual use of Chinese herbs in an emergency such as a natural disaster was unknown.
This study analyzes medical receipt data from Okayama, Hiroshima, and Ehime prefectures, which were heavily affected by the heavy rains in western Japan, and targeted approximately 65 million residents aged 137 and over. Changes in the prescription amount, especially the prescription amount of the Chinese herbal medicine "Yokukansan", which is most often used for mental symptoms and peripheral symptoms of dementia, were evaluated in one year before and after the disaster.
As a result, of the 12,787 (0.93%) who were recognized as victims by the local government, 1 (125%) were newly prescribed yokukansan in the first year after the disaster. It was significantly higher than the 0.98 victims (8,913%).
In addition, among the subjects, the increase rate of subjects who received yokukansan and other Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions was compared before and after the disaster.The number of prescriptions for Chinese herbs increased after the disaster for both victims and non-disaster victims.Furthermore, among the victims, the rate of increase in yokukansan (31.4%) was higher than the rate of increase in other Chinese herbs (19.3%).
As a result, the frequency of appearance of various symptoms for which Chinese medicine is indicated among the elderly due to natural disasters, especially agitation, irritability, and peripheral symptoms of dementia, has increased, and doctors' prescriptions for Chinese medicine, especially yokukansan, have increased. It was shown that it was possible.Based on this evidence, it is expected that disaster countermeasures and clinical practice guidelines unique to Japan will be formulated.
Paper information:[Frontiers in Nutrition] The 2018 Japan Floods Increased the Frequency of Yokukansan Prescriptions Among Elderly: A Retrospective Cohort Study
