Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident Effect on Health Leads to Diabetes.
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In the present study, we observed that the prevalence of diabetes significantly increased among vacuees after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. All metabolic factors (BMI, blood pressure, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and liver function) were significantly exacerbated in the normal and borderline glucose groups. In contrast, HbA1c levels in the normal-high glucose group improved significantly after the disaster, while the other metabolic factors (except glucose metabolism) were significantly exacerbated. In addition, the increase in HbA1c levels was significantly greater among evacuees than among non-evacuees in the normal glucose group. Furthermore, the present study revealed that evacuation was significantly associated with the incidence of diabetes and that the incidence of diabetes was significantly higher among evacuees than among non-evacuees. These findings suggest that chronic metabolic health issues such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia should be carefully monitored and treated after disaster.