[The Hanshin-Awaji earthquake and the recurrence of endogenous uveitis]

The recurrence mechanism of endogenous uveitis remains to be explained, but it is popularly believed that hereditary background and environmental changes affect this mechanism. On Jan 17, 1995, the Hanshin-Awaji distinct in Japan was struck by a major earthquake. Over 6,300 people were killed and more than 310,000 were made homeless. The inhabitants of this area suffered emotional stress from the sudden changes in their living environment. In 116 endogenous uveitis patients who were being followed up for more than 2 years after Jul 17, 1993, at Kobe University Hospital in the stricken area, we investigated the recurrence rate of endogenous uveitis before and after the earthquake. The recurrence rate after the earthquake was significantly higher than before the earthquake (10% vs 3%), and women were more often affected than men after the earthquake. Our data suggests that psychological stress from sudden changes in the living environment after the earthquake can trigger the recurrence of endogenous uveitis. It might be important to provide psychological as well as physical care of endogenous uveitis patients after a disaster.