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Increased incidence of acute MI persisted 6 years after Hurricane Katrina
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The number of hospitalizations due to acute MI at a medical facility in New Orleans increased significantly after Hurricane Katrina, and this increase persisted for more than 6 years, according to a new report.
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate 1,476 patients with acute MI before (Aug. 29, 1999, to Aug. 28, 2005; n=299) and after (Feb. 14, 2006, to Feb. 13, 2012; n=1,177) Hurricane Katrina. All patients were treated at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
The two time periods were compared according to the percentage of hospital admissions for acute MI, timing of symptom onset and patient demographics. Subgroup analysis also was performed to compare patients treated 1 to 3 years (n=418) and 4 to 6 years after Hurricane Katrina (n=759).
The percentage of hospital admissions for acute MI increased more than threefold in the 6 years after Hurricane Katrina, from 0.7% to 2.4% of total admissions (P<.001). In particular, admissions increased significantly during nights and weekends after the hurricane (P<.001 for both). Researchers also reported that the percentage of admissions for acute MI increased significantly between 1 to 3 years after the hurricane and 4 to 6 years after (from 2% to 2.8%; P<.001).
Subgroup analysis indicated that patients who developed acute MI 4 to 6 years after Hurricane Katrina were significantly less likely than those who developed acute MI earlier to be male (P=.01), white (P=.002) and uninsured (P<.05), and had significantly higher rates of CAD (P=.001), diabetes (P=.04), hyperlipidemia (P=.004) and psychiatric disease (P<.001), according to the study.
“The effect of natural disasters on the incidence and timing of [acute MI] may persist for at least a 6-year period,” the researchers wrote. “… Future studies will hopefully continue to explore the complex relationship between natural disasters and acute cardiac events.”
Disclosure: The researchers did not provide relevant financial disclosure information.
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