Farmer's disease - Noufushou

It is a common syndrome seen in farmers who have been engaged in agriculture for a long time, and is a disease that has occurred widely among farmers in Japan. In other words, some of the miscellaneous symptoms, such as stiff shoulders, back pain, numbness in the hands and feet, frequent urination at night, shortness of breath, insomnia, dizziness when standing up, and abdominal distension, are present either constantly or occasionally, and in many cases, it is thought to be simple fatigue and is not treated. The cause is thought to be the accumulation of stress in daily life over a long period of time, and in many cases, in addition to cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, gastritis, stomach ulcers, rheumatism, neuralgia, etc. are hidden, so a detailed examination is necessary. It is also commonly seen among the wives of farmers, and is also known as the farmer's disease.

In 1955 (Showa 30), Toshikazu Wakatsuki (1910-2006) of Saku General Hospital in Nagano Prefecture systematized the system, and with the aim of helping to educate farmers about preventive medicine, he announced a method of assessment for the general public in which any of the eight symptoms mentioned above that were present constantly over a month was scored as 2 points, any symptoms present occasionally were scored as 1 point, and any symptoms totaling 7 points or more were deemed to be farmer's syndrome.

[Noriaki Yanagishita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

長期間農業に従事した農民にみられる一般的な症候群で、広く日本の農民に多発してきた疾患である。すなわち、肩こり、腰痛、手足のしびれ、夜間の頻尿、息切れ、不眠、立ちくらみ・めまい、腹部膨満感など雑多な症状のうち、いくつかが常時またはときどきあり、一般には単なる疲労と考えて診療を受けない場合が多い。その原因として、長期間にわたる日常生活のストレスの積み重ねが考えられ、高血圧などの循環器疾患のほか、胃炎や胃潰瘍(かいよう)、リウマチや神経痛などが隠されている場合が多く、精密検査が必要である。なお農家の主婦にも多くみられ、農婦病ともよばれる。

　1955年（昭和30）長野県佐久(さく)総合病院の若月俊一(としかず)（1910―2006）によって体系づけられ、これを農民の予防医学的啓蒙(けいもう)に役だてる目的から、前述の八つの症状のうち、1か月間に常時あるものには2点、ときどきあれば1点として合計7点以上になれば農夫症とする、一般向けの判定法を発表している。

［柳下徳雄］

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