「生活習慣病」というけれど　家族に患者いる人、リスク大きく高まる

People who have a sick family member greatly increases their risk of getting "Lifestyle-related Diseases"

田村建二

TAMURA, Kenji

2025年1月30日 11時00分

　いわゆる「生活習慣病」と呼ばれることの多い2型糖尿病、脂質異常症、高血圧のいずれも、家族に患者がいると本人のリスクも大きく高まることが、新潟大や虎の門病院（東京都）のチームの解析で確認された。

A study done by the team at Niigata University and Toranomon Hospital (Tokyo City), among others, has confirmed that for many of the so-called, "Lifestyle-related Diseases," such as Type-2 Diabetes, Dislipidemia and Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), the risk that a person would get sick is greatly increased when there's already a patient in the family with any of those illnesses.

　こうした病気には食事や運動習慣もかかわるため、「自己責任だ」などとする声が上がることもあるが、実際には本人にはどうしようもできない遺伝的な要因も小さくないことが改めて示された。

Since such illnesses are related to daily habits like eating and exercise, a number of people have commented, "It's your own responsibility." However, the reality is that the hereditary factor, something a person cannot alter, isn't small.

　チームは、虎の門病院健康管理センターの人間ドックを受診した約4万1千人を対象に、親、きょうだい、祖父母にこれらの病気にかかった人がいるかを問診票で尋ねた。家族にいずれかの病気を発症した人がいる場合はいない場合と比べ、本人が同じ病気である確率（有病リスク）がどれだけ異なるかを解析した。

The team conducted a survey asking approx. 41,000 patients of the Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center if they have a family member such as a parent, a sibling or a grandparent who is sick. The team then compared the two cases where one has a family member who is sick and another who doesn't to analyze how big a risk it would be that the person himself would get the same illness.

　その結果、これら家族のうち1人でも発症者がいる人の同じ病気の有病リスクは、いない人に比べて2型糖尿病で3.20倍、脂質異常症で2.81倍、高血圧で2.25倍高かった。

The result is that the risk that even one of the family members would get the same illness went up by 3.2 times for Type-2 Diabetes, 2.81 times for Dislipidemia and 2.25 times for Hypertension, when compared with those without a family member who's sick.

　どの病気も、家族内で病気を発症した人数が多いほど本人の有病リスクも高まった。

Whichever illness it may be, as the number of sick people within the same family increased, the risk that the person himself would also get sick increased.

　特に2型糖尿病では、祖父母、親、きょうだいの3世代のいずれにも患者がいる人の有病リスクは、家族歴がない人の20倍に達した。

In particular, with the case of Type-2 Diabetes, the risk is increased by 20 times when a person has a sick grandparent, parent, sibling or any family member from any of these three generations, as compared to someone who doesn't have a family history of the disease.

Whichever among the three illnesses it may be, there's also a greater risk that the person would get life-threatening illnesses like stroke and heart attack in the future. However, the risk of heart attack, etc. can be lowered through early detection and treatment.

Niigata University (Metabolic Endocrinology) Professor and team member, Dr. SONE, Hirohito says, "We especially want people who have family members who are sick to undergo regular check-ups, so as not to overlook the possibility of their getting sick as well."

Based on the team's analysis, those with a family history of Hypertension, and whose Body Mass Index (BMI) (body weight (kg) ÷ height (m) ÷ height (m)) is over 30 is 18.99 times more at risk than the person without a family history of Hypertension and has normal BMI (18.5-24.9). However, even a person with a normal BMI but with family history of the disease is 2.22 times more at risk.

Dr. SONE says, "Even if there's a family history of the disease, the risk can still be greatly lowered through preventive measures such as not smoking, doing appropriate exercise and avoiding obesity."

The team also investigated the risk that a person who, at the start, was not a patient during the study would get sick from Type-2 Diabetes, etc., and they were able to confirm that family history increases the risk of getting sick from such illnesses.

As for the case when family members get the same illness, it's also likely that common activities, such as the family's eating habits, would have impacted this outcome. However, with regard to how big the link between the hereditary factor and the family habits really is, results showed that this cannot be said for all due to large individual differences.

On the so-called "Lifestyle-related Diseases," there are people who've complained that it's easy to promote the bias that "it's because of poor diet."

## REFERENCE

デジタル給与払い、残る不透明さ　識者「労働者にメリット少ない」

What remains unclear with digital payments of worker salaries. Expert says, "It has few advantages for the worker"

三浦惇平 橋本拓樹

MIURA, Jumpei; HASHIMOTO, Takuki

2022年9月13日 20時14分

賃金をキャッシュレス決済の口座に振り込む「デジタル給与払い」が解禁される見通しとなった。口座残高は100万円が限度だ。ただ、業者が破綻（はたん）した場合などの賃金の保護が十分なのか不透明な面もあり、識者は「労働者側にはメリットが少ない」と指摘する。

It's now more likely that the ban prohibiting "digital payments of worker salaries" will soon be lifted. The rule says that the maximum amount that can be stored in the balance is 1 million yen (approx. 500,000 PHP). However, the part about whether or not the salaries are kept secure when the service provider goes bankrupt, etc. still remains unclear, indicating that for the worker, "the service has very little advantage."

「労働者の生活を支える賃金は、安全性と確実性が担保されていることが大前提。単に便利だというだけで安全性に疑念が残るようなものを軽々に認めることはできない」

"The worker's salary covers his daily living expenses, and it's largely believed that this flow of income is both safe and sure. This is why, it's difficult to simply accept the idea that its safety would be compromised just for the sake of convenience."

The Japanese government has explained that the maximum amount that can be insured in the event that a business goes bankrupt is 1 million yen (approx. 500,000 PHP). Since the maximum amount of money that can be saved in a person's account doesn't have a limit, the risk that the worker will be bearing is huge.

During a meeting that began in August 2020, it was proposed that the maximum amount of money that can be saved in the account be set to 1 million yen, which a representative of the labor group also approved, "We've been able to find alignment with the system. We accept this as a measure to ensure the security of capital."

However, in the event that bankruptcy does occur, it's still not clear how the maximum amount of 1 million yen could be ensured. The service provider has explained that it would pay the amount through the deposit money that it paid. Still, "in actuality, each service provider decides on how to pay the insurance money," and the feeling that this aspect is dependent on the provider cannot be removed.

With regard to digital payments, Atty. SHIMAZAKI, Chikara, an expert on workers' rights, says, "the policy addresses the needs of the stakeholders, which include the worker's company as well as the service providers of cashless payments." There are cases when the service fee is much lower using cashless payments than through the bank. He added that this is what the side of the company is after when they decide on whether they should go for digital payments all the way or not. "It's vital that the side of the company grows, so that the aim of the workers would be valued."

## REFERENCE

「治療あきらめるのか」と絶望　高額療養費見直し、がん患者の訴え

With a tone of despair, "Are you going to give up treatment?" Cancer patients are demanding that the high costs of medical treatment be re-evaluated

松本千聖

MATSUMOTO, Chisato

2025年1月28日 6時00分

　高額療養費制度は、公的医療保険の「セーフティーネット」として機能している。高額な治療を受け、窓口での支払いが高くなっても、上限があることで、自己負担を一定額に抑えることができる。月々の自己負担の上限は、その人の年齢や所得区分によって決まる。

The law to curb the high costs of medical treatment works through "Safety Net," Japan's public health insurance. Even if over-the-counter payments to receive high-cost treatments are increasing, the amount that an individual has to pay can be set to have an upper limit. This monthly upper limit is based on things like the person's age and his income bracket.

　政府は、増え続ける社会保障費の伸びを抑えるため、2025年度当初予算案で、高額療養費制度を見直し、自己負担限度額の計算に使う基礎的な部分の金額の引き上げを盛り込んだ。政府案では、25年8月に所得区分ごとに2.7～15%を引き上げ。さらに、26年8月と27年8月にも区分を細分化して引き上げる。最終的には、中間的な収入の人で現行から5万8500円増の月13万8600円となる層がある。

To control the continuously increasing costs of social security, the Japanese government has re-evaluated current laws on high-cost medical treatments in a new budget plan for the year 2025. This includes increasing the basic amount used to compute the costs that an individual pays. According to the plan, the government will be increasing in August 2025 this basic amount by 2.7% up to 15% for each income bracket. In addition, in August 2026 and August 2027, the brackets are going to be further subdivided and the amounts increased accordingly. Finally, for middle-income earners, it's now 138,600 yen (approx 69,300 PHP) per month, an increase by 58,500 yen (approx 29,250 PHP).

　患者への影響は大きい。全がん連が行ったアンケートの中で、がん患者の30代女性は「突然の病で働くことができなくなり、高額療養費制度に助けられているが、治療費は毎月限度額いっぱいの支払いです」と訴える。生活費も含めれば夫だけの収入ではままならないため周りからお金を借りていると明かす。「私の医療費が高くなってしまえば子どもの学費も出してあげられない」とつづる。

This has a huge impact on patients. In a survey that the All Cancer Federation conducted, female cancer patients in their 30's complained, "I suddenly couldn't work because of my illness. The law that curbs the high costs of medical treatment helps me, but I still have a lot of monthly bills to pay to receive the treatment." She revealed that if she included her daily living expenses, her husband's income alone wouldn't be enough. This is why she borrows money from people around her. "If my medical bills further increased, I won't be able to pay for my children's school tuition."

　全がん連の天野慎介理事長は、「近年、長く高額な薬を飲み続けることを前提とした治療が増えている。こうした治療は続けなければ長期生存がかなわない。高額療養費が引き上げられれば、患者への影響は甚大で、生活が成り立たなくなったり、治療をやめたりするケースが出てくるおそれがある」と話す。

The chairman of the All Cancer Fedaration, Mr. AMANO, Shinsuke, says, "In recent years, medical treatment has been increasing given that patients continue to take long-term, high-cost medicines. If such medical treatment stopped, people wouldn't be able to live a long life. If the price of high-cost medical treatment is raised, its impact on patients would be huge, and it's likely that they'd quit medical treatment altogether and won't be able to survive."

　全がん連は昨年末、負担上限額引き上げの軽減や影響の緩和策を求める要望書を厚生労働相らに提出。アンケートも今後、厚労相に提出予定だという。

The All Cancer Federation has submitted to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare a proposal requesting for an impact alleviation measure to reduce the amount of money that the individual patient has to pay. There are also plans to send the survey they conducted to the Ministry afterward.

「誰もが自分事として考えてほしい問題」

"It's a problem that wants everyone to think about himself."

Even if laws that attempt to alleviate the current situation exist, there are people who've begun to think about getting a divorce due to life-related difficulties and to reduce medical, living and school expenses. Moreover, there are people who've borrowed money, delayed paying their taxes, etc.

Mr. KURODA, Chiharu, the Director of the Patient Financial Support Association, pointed out, "To a certain extent, it's understandable that the amount of money that an individual has to shoulder for high-cost medical treatment has increased along with the increase in the use of high-cost medicine. However, isn't it also necessary to examine the ways by which a person can shoulder his own expenses given his capabilities as well as his household's situation during the medical treatment?"

The law that curbs high-cost medical expenses doesn't only include cancer; patients with all sorts of illnesses take advantage of it. Mr. KURODA said, "Right now, it's a problem that wants even healthy people to think about themselves."

## REFERENCE

PC作業、ネットなくてもAIが補助　普及の兆しも、まだ「高級品」

AI assists in PC-related tasks even if offline. Despite signs of proliferation, still a "High-end Product"

高橋豪

TAKAHASHI, Go

2025年1月26日 6時00分

Online connectivity was a pain point in using AI. The time it took to process data put additional workload on the CPU, among others, causing the battery to get used up much sooner. There was also apprehension that it made the processing speed when doing other tasks much slower. While there's a "Processor" chip that fulfills the role of the PC's brain, conventional processors like the CPU and the GPU weren't sufficient.

During the past one, two years, the "AIPC" has differentiated itself by including, other than the CPU and the GPU, the "NPU," the processor specialized in making AI inferences and doing AI-related tasks. As such, the NPU reduces energy consumption, while increasing processing speed. Right now, almost all PC manufacturers include the NPU in their products.

By 2030, AIPCs would have captured 72% of the market, selling a little over 6 million units in 2030.

According to Mr. NAKAMURA, Naruki, Chief Researcher at MM, the issue is that "AIPCs are double the average price of PCs," making them a lot more pricey to introduce to the market. He also pointed out that external software that are AI-compatible and are used to do things like accounting and statistics are still being developed, so that "there aren't enough applications that need the AIPC."

## REFERENCE

（天声人語）「なれ」ではなく「なれる」

VOX POPULI: It's not "be," but "can be."

2025年1月25日 5時00分

Why is it that water from the faucet tastes so good after we finish our sports activities? It passes ever so smoothly through our parched throat. Words are surely like that too. A casual remark has invigorated not a few youths after all. Speaking of which, in the 10th "My Frequently Used Words Contest," there were over 27,000 submissions from middle-high school students all over Japan.

With only one word, the meaning of a phrase changes. "Greatness is that which each correct window opens to a blue sky." Singer KINOSHITA, Tatsuya wrote the song, "A compilation of shorts songs for you," to survive the classroom.

The formula for youthfulness is complex. Without ever finding the answer, our friends, the paths that we've taken, our loved ones and so many other things only add up. When that time comes, perhaps, someone's kind words will come to our side and help us.

## REFERENCE