LAUSR

メニエール病は,1974年に厚生省(当時)特定疾 患に指定された難病である。メニエール病の好発年 齢は30~50歳であり,突然のめまい発作を生じ るため,仕事や日常生活に著しく支障をきたす。メ ニエール病も,難病のひとつとして医療費の公費助 成が強く望まれるが,特定疾患治療研究事業(医療 費助成事業)では対象にならず,「難病の患者に対 する医療等に関する法律」(難病法)でもいまだ指 定難病に追加されておらず,国レベルでの公的医療 費助成はない。香川県では,1980年6月より県独自 にメニエール病を特定疾患治療研究事業(県指定) Meniere disease was included in the national registry of Designated Intractable Diseases by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) in 1974. Therefore, it would be desirable for medical expenses incurred towards treatment of Meniere disease to be subsidized by public funds. However, the Act on Medical Care for Patients with Intractable Diseases (Intractable Diseases Law) is not yet applicable to Meniere diseases, and there is, at present, no public medical expenses subsidy at the national level. Kagawa Prefecture designated Meniere disease as a specific disease treatment research project (designated by the prefecture) in June 1980, and has been providing public medical assistance to patients with Meniere disease. After the Intractable Disease Law was enacted, Meniere disease was specified as a designated intractable disease in Kagawa prefecture, and medical expenses subsidy has been continued for Meniere disease, as well as other designated intractable diseases included in the national registry by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan). Since 2010, the number of recipients of subsidy for the treatment of Meniere disease has ranged from 15.0 to 19.6 per 100,000 (male 1: female 2.7), comparable to the corresponding figure in previous epidemiological reports. The public medical expenses subsidy project for Meniere disease in Kagawa Prefecture has been carried out smoothly for over 30 years, and it was confirmed that a sustainable public medical expenses subsidy project for Meniere disease could be continued. Meniere disease is included in the national registry of designated intractable diseases and is expected to be eligible for public medical expenses at the national level. 原 著