Association Between Changes in Alcohol Consumption Before and After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Risk of Hypertension: A Study Using the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare National Database

BACKGROUND: The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake has resulted in a nuclear accident, forcing residents of the surrounding areas to evacuate. To determine any association between excessive drinking and hypertension in the setting of disaster, we assessed whether the proportion of excessive drinkers increased and if post-disaster excessive drinking was a risk factor for hypertension. METHODS: This retrospective study assessed data from the Japanese National Database. Cumulative population data for Fukushima Prefecture (3,497,576 people) were analyzed by categorizing residents into four areas—evacuation, coastal, central, and mountainous—to calculate the proportion of excessive, heavy (equivalent to binge drinking), and at-risk drinkers for 2008–2017. The hazard ratios (HRs) for the incidence of hypertension for 2012–2017 were examined in association with changes in drinking status pre- and post-disaster, which included 136,404 people who received specific health checkups pre-disaster (2008–2010) and post-disaster (2011–2012). RESULTS: The proportion of excessive drinkers among women increased after the disaster in all areas examined. The association between excessive drinking and the incidence of hypertension was determined among men and women in all areas; it was stronger among women in the evacuation areas, with the sex- and age-adjusted HRs for the incidence of hypertension of 1.41 for pre-disaster excessive drinking, 2.34 for post-disaster excessive drinking, and 3.98 for pre- and post-disaster excessive drinking, compared with not excessive drinking pre- and post-disaster. CONCLUSION: Excessive drinking post-disaster may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension among men and women, especially among women in the evacuation areas.