What is post-earthquake sickness syndrome?
What happens to the body after an earthquake?
What is the impact of the earthquake on the mental health of the survivors?
Post-earthquake sickness syndrome
After the 9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, many people in the eastern region of Japan near the epicenter felt dizzy, as if they were swaying, at a time when aftershocks were not really occurring.
Japanese researchers Yasuyuki Nomura and Teru Toei dubbed this phenomenon "post-earthquake dizziness syndrome" in a paper published in the journal Equilibrium Research.
In post-earthquake sickness syndrome, a person feels dizzy, especially when sitting and when inside a house or building.
Post-earthquake sickness syndrome is more common in:
female
Those who suffer from motion sickness
How does post-earthquake vertigo syndrome occur?
The underlying mechanism is related to stimuli of the vestibular system in the ear. Emotional disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are also included in the list of causes, as well as the anxiety and stress of a disaster.
The vestibular system is the sensory system of the inner ear that helps the body maintain its motor equilibrium. The information provided by the vestibular system is also necessary for coordinating the position of the head and the movement of the eyes.
There are two sets of organs in the inner ear, the semicircular canals that respond to rotational movements, and the proximal (utricle) and saccule and intravestibular sacs, which respond to changes in the position of the head with respect to gravity.
Functionally, these organs are closely related to the cerebellum, the reflex centers in the spinal cord and brainstem that control movements of the eyes, neck, and limbs.
Prevention and treatment
Maintaining physical fitness and avoiding anxiety caused by watching media reports seem to be important.
It has also been proven that following physical therapy and taking medications are important to prevent symptoms from exacerbating.
What happens to the body after an earthquake?
What happens to the body due to earthquakes can be classified as immediate, rapid, or delayed, and immediate injuries occur due to severe injuries to the skull and chest that lead to external or internal bleeding, or due to drowning due to a tsunami caused by an earthquake.
Rapid infections occur within minutes or hours and are attributed to suffocation from dust inhalation, hypovolemic shock, or exposure to extreme environmental conditions.
Delayed infections occur within days and are due to dehydration, hypothermia, hyperthermia, crush syndrome, wound infections or sepsis after surgery.
Crush syndrome is a systemic condition in which muscle cells are damaged by squeezing or crushing.
In crush syndrome, pressure is applied to the extremities or other parts of the body, causing muscle swelling and/or neurological disturbances.
This can lead to tissue injury and organ dysfunction, metabolic problems, hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, and may lead to kidney failure and death.
Mental health of earthquake survivors
Regarding the effects of the earthquake on the mental health of the survivors, the most common psychological conditions among earthquake survivors are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression.
Infectious diseases may also appear during the post-earthquake phase, when the victim becomes infected.