Morbidity and health survey of wintering members in Japanese Antarctic research expedition.
METHODS
The Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) started in 1956. Syowa Station is the mother station of JARE at 69 degrees 00'S and 39 degrees 35'E in East Antarctica. An epidemiological survey of the wintering team of JARE was carried out based on the annual reports of JARE over the period 1956-2001.


METHODS
The total number of personnel was 1,236 including 3 females. The age of personnel was from 21 to 56 (average 33.1). We examined the proportion of personnel who had contracted disease with healthy personnel, as reported by the medical department at Syowa as well as a health survey of the latest party by biochemical analyses.


RESULTS
The total number of diseases was 4,760. The ratios of surgical-orthopedic, internal medical, and dental cases were 45%, 23%, and 13%, respectively. Only one death from a blizzard was recorded. In the latest party, serum levels for triglyceride, calcium, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase increased during the wintering period.


CONCLUSIONS
The very low mortality of JARE may be due to the effective personnel selection and that there have been no severe accidents. There has been no deterioration in nutritional parameters in JARE recently.
Otani
Shinji
S
Division of Organ Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago, Japan. otanis@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp
Ohno
Giichiro
G
Shimoeda
Norifumi
N
Mikami
Haruo
H
D000328:Adult; D000864:Antarctic Regions / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D012108:Research Personnel; D012621:Seasons