title: Effect of evacuation on liver function after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused residents to switch from their normal lives to lives focused on evacuation. We evaluated liver function before and after this disaster to elucidate the effects of evacuation on liver function.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a longitudinal survey of 26,006 Japanese men and women living near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This study was undertaken using data from annual health checkups conducted for persons aged 40-90 years between 2008 and 2010. Follow-up examinations were conducted from June 2011 to the end of March 2013, with a mean follow up of 1.6 years. Changes in liver function before and after the disaster were compared among evacuees and non-evacuees. We also assessed groups according to alcohol drinking status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of liver dysfunction significantly increased in all participants from 16.4% before to 19.2% after the disaster. The incidence of liver dysfunction was significantly higher in evacuees than in non-evacuees. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that evacuation was significantly associated with liver dysfunction among residents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to show that evacuation due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster was associated with an increase in liver dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Gastroenterology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan. Electronic address: junior@fmu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosoya
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasumura
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Nephrology, Hypertension, Diabetology, and Endocrinology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeatsu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Nephrology, Hypertension, Diabetology, and Endocrinology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Radiation Life Sciences, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohtsuru
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Cardiology and Hematology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Public Health, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kobashi
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Epidemiology, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozasa
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Japan and Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Gastroenterology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Evacuation; Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident; Liver dysfunction; The Fukushima Health Management Survey; The Great East Japan Earthquake