#Japan #Tokyo #Yukaria #Vascular Failure #Co-Morbidities

In a notable collaborative effort, Yukaria, a Tokyo-based healthcare company led by President Hideo Misawa, has partnered with Professor Hiroyasu Nakagami from Osaka University’s Graduate School of Medicine to conduct pioneering research on the relationship between heart disease and other co-existing medical conditions in the ten years preceding death. Their findings were recently published in the Japanese journal 'Vascular Failure' and were honored with the prestigious Excellent Presentation Award at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Vascular Failure held on April 19, 2026.

The study, titled "Which diseases commonly co-occur with heart diseases in the 10 years preceding to death?" addresses a vital public health concern. Heart disease has been recognized as one of the leading causes of death in Japan, often appearing alongside various other conditions as individuals age. Despite this clinical knowledge, limited research has quantitatively demonstrated the specific diseases that co-occur with heart disease during the decade before death. This study aims to fill that gap.

Utilizing the anonymized electronic medical record data from Yukaria's ‘Yukaria Data Lake,’ the researchers quantitatively visualized the co-morbidity patterns of heart disease in conjunction with other diseases during the ten years prior to mortality. This research exemplifies the potential for Yukaria’s medical data assets to contribute directly to the advancement of medical research through academic collaboration, creating social value in the process.

Summary of the Collaborative Study

• - Title: Which diseases commonly co-occur with heart diseases in the 10 years preceding to death?
• - Authors: Hironori Nakagami, Kazuhisa Shimmura, Yukihiro Imanishi, Toshimasa Takahashi, Koichi Yamamoto
• - Published in: 'Vascular Failure', Vol. 10, No. 1 (2026), pp. 10-18
• - DOI: 10.30548/vascfail.10.1_10
• - J-STAGE: View Article
• - Sample: 407 cases from three partner medical institutions of Yukaria
• - Data Used: Anonymized electronic medical record data based on ICD-10 codes
• - Methodology: Multivariable logistic regression and ROC analysis to visualize co-morbidity patterns in the ten years before death.

Key Findings

• - A sharp increase in cases of heart failure, cancer, anemia, stroke, and pneumonia was noted within the last year before death.
• - Heart failure showed a strong co-occurrence with myocardial infarction and pneumonia, and a moderate co-occurrence with renal failure and anemia.
• - Analyzing the data over time, it was found that pneumonia and myocardial infarction co-occurred most often within the last year, while cancer and anemia were more common three years prior to death.
• - Notably, differences by sex indicated that men were more likely to have pneumonia, while women showed higher rates of co-morbidities related to myocardial infarction and anemia.
• - In summary, the co-occurrence of heart failure and pneumonia may represent a critical pattern of comorbidity in the process leading up to death.

This collaborative research not only quantitatively supports the established patterns of co-morbidity related to heart disease observed in clinical settings but also provides fresh insights for disease management in both terminal care and preventive healthcare contexts.

Yukaria Data Lake

The ‘Yukaria Data Lake’ functions as a unified repository designed to store, process, and protect large volumes of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. One of its distinguishing features is the capability to analyze not just quantitative data but also qualitative text data. By incorporating extensive qualitative information from physicians' examination records and nurses' care documentation, the platform allows for a multidimensional understanding of patient treatment scenarios. Its capacity to refer to a patient's condition over long periods, up to a decade, adds further depth to the analysis. The hospitals supplying this data span a range of functionalities, from acute care to rehabilitation and chronic care, allowing for comprehensive follow-ups on patients undergoing long-term treatment.

About Yukaria

Yukaria operates with a vision of 'industrializing healthcare' and a mission of 'realizing the ideal state of medical and nursing care through transformation.' The company works closely with professionals in the medical and caregiving sectors to promote five key transformation themes: separation of medicine and finance, optimization of hospital management, pursuit of patient-centered Value-Based Health Care (VBHC), community-inclusive models, and appropriate digital transformation for clinical settings.
Location: 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Business Activities: Comprehensive support for healthcare management, senior-related businesses, and advanced medical device sectors.
Website: Yukaria Official Site