Influence of the great earthquake in the Chuetsu district on patients managing urination with clean intermittent self-urethral catheterization.
Natural disasters cause several medical problems for victims, especially for physically challenged people. The great earthquake in the Chuetsu district in Niigata Prefecture that occurred on October 23, 2004 caused serious damage in the disaster area. We investigated the effect of this earthquake on patients managing urination with clean intermittent self-urethral catheterization (CIC) using a questionnaire by mailing. The questionnaire was collected from 86 patients (60 men, 25 women, one sex unknown). The average age was 64.6 years old (males 64.1, females 65.8). By the first week after the earthquake, the patients with urological symptoms made up 3.8% of subjects surveyed. All of the patients had insufficient fluid intake, and did not live in their own homes, or perform CIC at home, for the period of time after the earthquake. During disasters, it is important that we secure CIC patients a living space, where they can perform CIC, with sufficient drinking water.
Hoshii
Tatsuhiko
T
Division of Urology, Department of Regenerative and Transplant Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan. t_hoshii@d3.dion.ne.jp
Nishiyama
Tsutomu
T
Takahashi
Kota
K
D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012648:Self Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*