inations (for occult blood and parasites), and
bacteriologic cultures (aerobic and anaerobic)
with antibiotic sensitivity testing are available.
Hemoglobin Ai. determinations, syphilis testing, and erythrocyte sedimentation rates are
also provided. Serum is routinely separated and
frozen for thyroid function tests and other
studies which must be sent to commercial or
university laboratories. Fingerstick techniques
are used on young children wheneverpossible.
An x-ray machine is available for most
commonly required roentgenograms. Electrocardiograms are also available.
Referral laboratories for studies mentioned in
this report include: BioScience Laboratories in
Honolulu (special chemistries, serologic tests);
‘Pathologists’ Laboratories, Inc., in Honolulu
(Papanicolaou smear readings); the Endocrinology Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, Boston (thyroid function tests);
Hazleton Laboratories American, Inc., Immunoassay Department, Vienna, VA (prolactin
levels); Hepatitis Branch, Division of Viral
Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta,
GA(hepatitis B serology), Brookhaven National
Laboratory, Clinical Chemistry .Laboratory
(serum cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins,
triglycerides); and Hematopathology Laboratory, University of California, Irvine Medical
Center (free erythrocyte protoporphyrin assays).

Medical Findings
Recent Mortality
The following seven deaths occurred during
1983-84:
Rongelap
Subject No. 80. At the time of his last
medical examination in 1982, this 72-year-old
man gave clinical evidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His cigarette
smoking history exceeded 60 pack-years. Congestive heart failure was not considered to be
the cause of chronic dyspnea. His electrocardiogram showed atrialfibrillation in 1981. It
had been present since at least 1965, but his
pulse rate was not rapid in 1982. He died in
January 1983.
Ailingnae
None

Utirik
Subject No. 2194. When examined in March
1983 this 64-year-old woman had proteinuria, a
serum creatinine of 2.3 mg/dl, a hemoglobin of
10.8 g/dl, and diabetic retinopathy. Proteinuria,
anemia, and hyperglycemia had been noted as
early as 1979, and diabetic retinopathy and a
serum creatinine of 2.2 mg/dl were present in
1976. A papillary carcinoma of the thyroid was
removed in 1976. A thyroid scan in January
1983 showed minimal residual thyroid in the
region of the isthmus; no evidence of metastatic
disease waspresent, although the thyroglobulin
level was elevated at 64 ng/ml. The patient was
advised to take thyroid hormone replacement,
but compliance was poor. In January 1984 she
died of a “massive cerebro-vascular accident” in
the Majuro hospital following outpatient care of
cellulitis.
Subject No. 2157. Diabetes mellitus, mild
urinary retention compatible with benign prostatic hypertrophy, and dyspnea on exertion
associated with normal lung markingson chest
x-ray were noted on this man’s 1983 examination when he was 55 years old. He died in
January 1984 while residing on Utirik. The
cause of death, as diagnosedbythe local health
aid, was diabetic ketoacidosis.
Subject No. 2168. This patient, a 47-yearold man, had chronic low back pain, a 1-cm left
axillary lymph nede, and possible hepatomegaly noted in March 1983. His hemoglobin
was 15.5 g/dl, and liver function tests were
normal except for a slightly elevated serum
aspartate aminotransferase level. He had no
history of excessive ethanol intake. He died in
March 1984 after being admitted to the Majuro
Hospital for massive gastrointestinal bleeding.
The death certificate identified bleeding from
esophageal varices secondaryto liver cirrhosis
as the cause of death. Serologic tests for
hepatitis B, performed on stored serum from his
1983 examination, revealed a positive test for
hepatitis B surface antigen.
Subject No. 2185. In March 1983, at age 61,
this man had achronic cough associated witha
positive tuberculin skin test and a chest x ray
showing no pulmonary disease. He was a
cigarette smoker, and cardiology consultation
indicated no evidence of cor pulmonale. His
weight had remained stable. In January 1984,
while returning to Utirik atoll from a fishing

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