Can a disaster affect rheumatoid arthritis status? A retrospective cohort study after the 2011 triple disaster in Fukushima, Japan

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: As status of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is highly affected by environmental factors, a catastrophic disaster may also affect RA activity. Herein we conducted a retrospective cohort study in the disaster area of the 2011 triple disaster in Fukushima, Japan: an earthquake, tsunamis and a nuclear accident. METHODS: Clinical records of RA patients who attended a hospital near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were collected. For those who underwent whole-body counter testing, internal radiation exposure levels were also collected. As clinical parameters may fluctuate in the absence of a disaster, changes in values before and after the disaster were also compared. Logistic regre..