離島における耳鼻咽喉科診療

THE CARE OF EAR, NOSE AND THROAT PATIENTS ON THE REMOTE ISOLATED ISLAND

　Ⅰ．緒言

　長崎県は地理的にも壱岐・対島・五島列島をはじめ数多くの離島をもち，その離島人口33万（長崎県総人口の21％）を数え，離島医療の推進が早急に実施されなければならない現況にある。私ども，離島医療の一環として昭和48年3月13目〜16日，7月23日〜26日の2回に亘り，上五島奈良尾町および上五島町において耳鼻咽喉科専門診療を実施したのでその実態を報告し，併せて現在の離島医療について考察を加えたい。

　Clinical sessions for search of ENT patients were opened at the two small towns located on the remote, isolated island, Nagasaki Ken, on two occasions, March and August, 1973. The general state of health conditions in these area were as follows;

　1. There were remarkably few young people in their twenties who sought medical attention.

　2. Of the 516 individuals who sought medical care, 145 or 28.1% were deemed requiring further continued medical care; 55 patients or 10.6 % needed operative treatment.

　3. The most of these patients were affected with chronic infection leaving only a few affected with that of acute.

　4. The types of the diseases were categorically, Ⅰ, conduction deafness including the senile type; Ⅱ, chronic rhinitis and sinusitis; Ⅲ, oral inflammation including chronic tonsillitis; and Ⅳ, laryngopharyngeal neurosis.

　These people in such isolated localities are suffering with problems obtaining proper medical care and particularly for the early diagnosis of detecting the precancerous stage.