[Nationwide survey of intractable disease patients. Analyses of patients receiving public financial aid for treatment in fiscal year 1997].

OBJECTIVE

In order to clarify epidemiologic features of selected intractable diseases, an investigation of the fourth nationwide survey, in 1998, was performed.

METHODS

We asked 47 prefectural governments to provide data concerning every patient receiving financial aid for treatment of 39 selected intractable diseases from April 1997 to March 1998. The items for each patient required were the beginning year of the financial aid, the disease code, sex, date of birth, residence, type of insurance, whether an in-patient or outpatient, medical institution and the clinical division where the patient was treated. We performed a detailed analysis regarding the age distribution, the prefecture, in-patient or outpatient, the clinical division, the insurance, and the disease, for both males and females.

RESULTS

1. The total number of patients who received financial aid for treatment was 399, 719 with a sex ratio of 0.66 (males 158, 766, or female 240, 953), 60.7% being between 45 and 74 years of age. Of 214, 173 patients whose status could be confirmed regarding outpatient or inpatient. 14.7% were the latter. Of 129, 685 cases, 56, 471 (43.6%) were treated in departments of internal medicine. Of 396, 187 patients, 65, 841 (16.6%) were covered by the health and medical services law for the aged. The greatest number of patients resided in Tokyo, and the least was in Yamanashi Prefecture. 2. With regard to specific intractable diseases, the largest number of patients receiving aid for treatment were suffering from ulcerative colitis at 52, 261, while the least number was for primary pulmonary hypertension at 96. The numbers for each group had increased within the 13 years from 1984 to 1997, except for SMON. As the patients' age increased, the percentage of those receiving treatment also increased and the numbers of aged individuals were especially elevated. 3. The proportion of in-patients for the Creutzfelde-Jakob disease was 76.4 percent, which was remarkably higher than for other diseases.

CONCLUSION

By the present analysis of the nationwide survey in fiscal year 1997, we could clarify changes in epidemiologic features of patients receiving financial aid for treatment. This kind of analysis should be continued to obtain important information on the epidemiology of intractable diseases.