# Association of severe stress with the onset of chronic kidney disease after the Great East Japan Earthquake: the Fukushima Health Management Survey

## TL;DR

This study found that severe stress after a natural disaster was linked to the development of chronic kidney disease in residents of the Fukushima area.

## Contribution

The study identifies severe psychological stress as a novel risk factor for CKD onset following a major disaster.

## Key findings

- Severe stress, measured by K6 score, was significantly associated with CKD onset.
- Common risk factors like age, BMI, and hypertension also contributed to CKD development.
- Stress management could be a new strategy for CKD prevention and treatment.

## Abstract

In 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake hit the Futaba District on the northeast coast of Japan, followed by a tsunami and a nuclear power plant accident. In this study, we investigated the impact of post‐earthquake life on the onset of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among the residents of the Futaba District.

Data on 17,859 residents of the Futaba District (7333 men, 10,526 women; mean age: 61.0 ± 10.2 years; mean follow-up period: 3.42 ± 1.51 years) who underwent health checkups and completed self-administered questionnaires in the Fukushima Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey were analyzed. These residents were confirmed to be CKD-free in 2012. Hence, they were assessed for the onset of CKD from 2013 to 2017.

Univariate analysis results showed significant differences between residents with and without CKD. Differences in age, diabetes mellitus, body mass index (BMI), dyslipidemia, hypertension, hyperuricemia, Kessler 6 Psychological Distress Scale (K6) score, smoking habit, alcohol drinking history, exercise habit, history of job change, history of job loss, and evacuation experience were observed. Multivariate analysis was conducted to adjust for multiple factors, and age, BMI, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hyperuricemia, and K6 score were identified as significant promotional factors for CKD onset.

Among the well-recognized risk factors, severe stress reflected by a high K6 score was established to be correlated with CKD onset among residents originally without CKD. Stress management may be another treatment strategy for treating CKD.