Background : To evaluate the recent frequency of onset and severity of IgA vasculitis with nephri-tis (IgAVN) in Fukushima Prefecture, we examined the epidemiology and clinico-pathological manifestations of IgAVN in our hospital over a 10-year period. Methods : We enrolled 18 patients with IgAVN treated between 2004 and 2013 in the Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine. These patients were divided into two groups ; Group 1 consisted of 12 patients with IgAVN hospitalized between 2004 and 2008 and Group 2 consisted of 6 patients with IgAVN hospitalized between 2009 and 2013. The epidemiology , clinical features, laboratory data, pathological findings, and outcome were retrospectively compared between the two groups. Results : The numbers of patients with IgAVN per year in Group 2 were lower than that in Group 1. The frequency of patients with higher than grade IIIb disease in Group 2 (50%) was lower than that in Group 1 (94%) ; furthermore, the frequency of patients with higher than grade IV disease in Group 2 (0%) was lower than that in Group 1 (50%). Conclusions : Our findings suggest that the incidence of onset and severity of IgAVN in patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2013 were lower than those in patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2008.

Measles epidemic occurred in southern part of Fukushima Prefecture from April 2002 to July 2003. Public Iwase hospital in Sukagawa City was the central hospital in the measles epidemic area and 382 patients with measles were admitted to the hospital during the epidemic. Based on clinical records, age distribution, vaccination history, familiar infection and complications were retrospectively investigated. Moreover, the vaccination rates and their calculating methods in the area were compared and the problems on immunization against measles were discussed. As the result, we found that 1) measles epidemic centered on unvaccinated infants, 2) measles was still serious disease with many complications and sometimes fatal, 3) measles was highly infectious and there was no way for prevention except vaccination, 4) the actual condition of measles vaccination was not reflected exactly by the current calculating methods used for the local health reports by the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. For the prevention of measles epidemic, it is necessary to know the exact numbers of patients infected with measles and patients deceased due to measles, to calculate precise vaccination rate, and to form the consensus among parents, physicians and administrators to control measles epidemic by the vaccination.