Dermatological Needs After the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake.

Abstract

Major earthquakes may alter dermatological needs through physical injury, disruption of living conditions, and psychological stress. We investigated dermatological needs after the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake. This retrospective observational study included patients from eight severely affected municipalities who visited our dermatology clinic during the first 10 clinic days after the earthquake and a subsequent 12-clinic-days period. Outpatient attendance and selected dermatologic conditions were compared with those during the corresponding periods in 2025. During the first 10 clinic days, the number of patients from the eight municipalities decreased from 1670 in 2025 to 1030 in 2026 (38.3% reduction). Forty patients presented with earthquake-related traumatic injuries, and 19 presented with burns. Acute urticaria (2.5% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.021), herpes zoster (1.7% vs. 0.5%, p = 0.001), and exacerbations of atopic dermatitis (3.1% vs. 0.9%, p < 0.001) were significantly more frequent in 2026 than in 2025, whereas herpes simplex showed no significant difference. These findings indicate that the post-earthquake dermatologic needs include not only traumatic injuries and burns but also stress-related dermatoses, thus highlighting the potential role of dermatologists in multidisciplinary disaster medical care.