Tsuboi Motohiro, Sasaki Hiroyuki, Park Hyejeong, Tsubokura Masaharu, Sawano Toyoaki, Harada Nahoko, Zaima Fumiyasu, Uto Akihiro, Okamoto Tadashi, Watanabe Toshihiko, Hibiya Manabu, Ueda Shinsaku, Sakamoto Noboru, Yasaka Koichi, Taguchi Shigemasa, Kiyota Kazuya, Egawa Shinichi
International Cooperation for Disaster Medicine Lab., International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Sendai City, Miyagi, 980-8572, Japan.
Advanced Emergency and Critical Care Center, Japanese Red Cross Saitama Hospital, 1-5 Shintoshin, Chuo-Ku, Saitama City, Saitama, 330-8553, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2025 Feb 12;15(1):5225. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-89349-7.
Disaster-related deaths can be classified as direct and indirect disaster-related deaths that are becoming more predominant in Japan. To reduce indirect disaster-related deaths, accurate statistics based on medical documentation are essential. However, the definition and reporting of such deaths in Japan present systemic challenges. These deaths are certified and recorded by municipalities at the request of bereaved families seeking condolence grants. This cross-sectional study assessed 755 certified indirect disaster-related deaths after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in the Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, to determine whether medical documents mentioned disaster relevance. Of the 755 cases, 74 (9.8%) death certificates and 145 (19.2%) medical documents described the relevance of disasters. Relevance mentioned only in the self-reported documentation from bereaved families was 536 (71.0%). The median [interquartile range] time from the disaster onset to disaster-related deaths was 21 [7-52] days. The mean age was 79.7-years-old, and 346 (46.7%) of the victims were female. The predominant etiologies of these deaths included circulatory (32.7%) and respiratory (27.7%) diseases. The time periods of the deaths varied among the municipalities, suggesting a lack of consensus among the review committees. Establishing a medical and social consensus for indirect disaster-related deaths and recording them on death certificates is crucial for accurate disaster death data and social resilience.
与灾害相关的死亡可分为直接和间接与灾害相关的死亡，这在日本正变得越来越普遍。为减少间接与灾害相关的死亡，基于医学文档的准确统计至关重要。然而，日本此类死亡的定义和报告存在系统性挑战。这些死亡由市政当局应寻求哀悼补助金的遗属请求进行认证和记录。这项横断面研究评估了日本宫城县2011年东日本大地震后755例经认证的间接与灾害相关的死亡病例，以确定医学文档是否提及与灾害的相关性。在这755例病例中，74份（9.8%）死亡证明和145份（19.2%）医学文档描述了灾害的相关性。仅在遗属自行报告的文档中提及的相关性为536份（71.0%）。从灾害发生到与灾害相关死亡的中位[四分位间距]时间为21[7 - 52]天。平均年龄为79.7岁，346名（46.7%）受害者为女性。这些死亡的主要病因包括循环系统疾病（32.7%）和呼吸系统疾病（27.7%）。各市政当局的死亡时间各不相同，这表明审查委员会之间缺乏共识。就间接与灾害相关的死亡达成医学和社会共识并将其记录在死亡证明上，对于准确的灾害死亡数据和社会复原力至关重要。
