[Severely mentally and physically disabled in Gunma Prefecture].

We studied severity, causes of the disabilities, complications due to disabilities, and past histories of the severely mentally and physically disabled whose guardians or parents were residents in Gunma prefecture on September 1, 1991. This survey was made on severely disabled schoolboys and girls aged 6 to 15 years with IQ of 35 or less who could not stand or walk, even if they were supported. The number of them was 133 at the moment of this survey. Asphyxia at birth and congenital but unknown etiology were the major causes in the institutionalized cases, but cerebral palsy of unknown etiology and "no information" were frequent in the cases cared at home. The institutionalized patients showed severer mental retardations, palsies and disabilities on activities of daily lives, though not with statistically significant difference, and contained significantly larger number of cases fed by gastric tube or having meals as blended foods and significantly smaller number of cases having conventional meals than cases cared at home. Furthermore, epilepsies or constipations as complications were found more frequently in institutionalized cases than in cases cared at home with significant difference. On past history, relatively large numbers of the disabled suffered from various infectious diseases, especially from measles, varicella, mumps and pneumonia. Histories of measles, varicella and mumps showed higher frequency in institutionalized cases than in cases cared at home, though not with significant difference. On the cases cared at home, some of them did not have their home doctors, though in small numbers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)