[A clinical study on the patients with otolaryngological diseases in Koshiki Islands]

One hundred and sixty four ENT patients were observed at the Kashima village hospital located on the remote, isolated islands (Islands of Koshiki), Kagoshima prefecture, during two years of April 1987 to March 1989. They were composed of the following conditions; 1. Of the 164 individuals, 46 cases, showing 28.1% were admitted from the other inconvenient districts. 2. About a half of all the patients with acute infectious diseases might be treated by their home doctors. 3. The patients required operative care were contained in the individuals with chronic inflammatory diseases. 4. Most of the cases with acute otitis in summer were caused by naked diving to catch the fishes in these islands. 5. The incidence of the chronic ENT diseases such as perceptive hearing disturbances including the presbyacusis, chronic otitis media, chronic sinusitis, and laryngopharyngeal paresthesia in order, were the same as one of the previous reports in the other remote isolated islands. All the general practitioners worked in the remote isolated islands should be necessary to have a special training of fundamental knowledges and clinical skills in otolaryngology.