January 1, 2012Open Access
Disaster Hypertension
Key Result
Major disasters increase thrombophilic tendency and blood pressure, leading to disaster hypertension driven by high salt intake and disrupted circadian rhythms.
Structured PICO
P
Population
Survivors of major disasters, specifically the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
Major disasters trigger hypertension and cardiovascular events through neurohumoral activation, high salt intake, and disrupted circadian rhythms, highlighting the need for disaster cardiovascular prevention networks.
Abstract
The devastating Great East Japan Earthquake, which was 9.0 on the Richter scale, occurred on March 11, 2011. Japan experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake 16 years ago, and I was working at the epicenter, and reported the characteristics of the earthquake-associated cardiovascular risk and high blood pressure (BP) found during the continuous practice and clinical studies of Tsuna Medical Association before and after the quake. A major disaster increases thrombophilic tendency and BP, both of which trigger disaster-induced cardiovascular events such as stroke, cardiac events, etc. The high salt intake and the increased salt sensitivity caused by disrupted circadian rhythms are the 2 major leading causes of disaster hypertension (HT) through neurohumoral activation under stressful conditions. To better assess and reduce the risks for disaster-associated cardiovascular events, we introduced the web-based Disaster Cardiovascular Prevention (DCAP) network (which consists of DCAP risk and prevention score assessment, and self-measured BP monitoring at both the shelter and the home) to the survivors of the 2011 disaster, and frequently found newly developed HT. Here I review the recent evidence, possible mechanism and the management of "disaster HT" for effective prevention of disaster-induced cardiovascular events.