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Temporal trends in acute MI onset shifted after Hurricane Katrina
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During the 3 years after Hurricane Katrina, onset of acute MI became more common on the weekends and at nights vs. mornings and weekdays before the storm struck, according to new data.
“The onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been shown to occur in a nonrandom pattern, with peaks in midmorning and on weekdays (especially Monday),” researchers wrote in the American Journal of Cardiology. “The incidence of [acute MI] has been shown to increase locally after natural disasters, but the effect of catastrophic events on [acute MI] biorhythms is largely unknown.
To investigate this relationship, Matthew N. Peters, MD, of Tulane University, and colleagues retrospectively examined 707 patients (mean age, 62.7; 62.5% men) who experienced onset of acute MI during 6 years before and 3 years after Hurricane Katrina at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, which reopened Feb. 14, 2006. Patients who were not residents of New Orleans were excluded from analysis.
Results revealed a significant decrease in acute MI onset in the morning, defined as 5:59 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. (P=.002), whereas onset increased twofold in the evenings, defined as 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. (P<.0001). The researchers also noted a nonsignificant increase in onset between midnight and 6 a.m.
Data also demonstrated dramatic differences in the septadian distribution of acute MI onset after Hurricane Katrina, with onset decreasing more than twofold on Mondays (P<.0001) and increasing more than twofold on Saturdays (P<.001). The researchers observed an increase in acute MI onset on Sundays as well (P=.032).
An analysis of parameters that combined circadian and septadian rhythms showed significant increases in the percentages of night (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. on Monday through Friday) and weekend acute MI events (12 a.m. on Saturday to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday). The percentage of weekday events (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday), however, decreased (P<.0001).
“The findings of our study are different from what has generally been reported and illustrate the dramatic and prolonged effects that a natural disaster can have on the timing of biologic events,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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