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Hurricane Katrina prompted CVD spike in older adults
Psychosocial and posttraumatic stress as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 led to an abrupt increase in CVD among older adults, according to findings published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Ninon A. Becquart, a data analyst at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University, and colleagues analyzed time series data from national databases of medical records to assess the effect of Hurricane Katrina on CVD, a primary cause of mortality among older adults, which can be aggravated by natural disasters.
“While studies on the effects of natural disasters, including earthquakes, on CVD exist, those focusing on hurricanes are sparse,” Becquart and colleagues wrote. “This is, therefore, one of the few studies analyzing the effect of hurricanes on CVD specifically.”
The researchers analyzed CVD hospitalization records of patients in Louisiana aged at least 65 years between 2005 and 2006 from a CMS database. Becquart and colleagues assessed data between black and white adults in the three most populated parishes in the state before and after the storm: Orleans, Jefferson and East Baton Rouge.
The researchers identified hospitalizations in the Orleans Parish increased on the sixth day after landfall, from 7.25 to 18.5 cases per day per 10,000 adults aged at least 65 years (P < .001). Within approximately 2 months, CVD rates in older adults returned to normal levels, Becquart and colleagues wrote.
Racial disparities in CVD rates increased a week after landfall (black adults aged 65 years, 26.3 ± 23.7 cases per day per 10,000 adults; white adults aged 65 years, 16.6 ± 11.7 cases per day per 10,000 adults; P < .001), according to the researchers.
Disparities in resource allocation and access must be addressed in disaster preparation and mitigation, according to the researchers.
“Considering the staggering economic and health impacts of such disasters, lessons from the past hurricanes, including (the) Katrina experience, should inform future health management decisions,” Becquart and colleagues wrote. – by Earl Holland Jr.
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.