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A fresh look at heart attack rates after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans shows - much to the surprise of researchers - that coronary events continue at a sharply elevated rate even four years after the flood waters receded.
In March of 2009, in a study led by Dr. Anand Irimpen - associate professor of clinical medicine at Tulane – it was disclosed that residents of New Orleans saw a 300% increase in heart attacks in the first 2 years after hurricane Katrina.
The study also found that these heart attack victims were more likely to receive angioplasty to reopen clogged coronary arteries, suggesting more severe coronary artery disease.
The Tulane University news NEW WAVE carried this report in 2009.
Post-Katrina Stress, Heart Problems Linked
March 30, 2009
(Excerpt)
There were 246 admissions for heart attacks, out of a total census of 11,282 patients, post-Katrina compared with 150 admissions out of a total 21,229 patients in the two years before the storm. In addition to a three-fold increase in heart attacks and a 120 percent increase in coronary interventions, the post-Katrina group had significantly higher prevalence of unemployment, lack of medical insurance, medication noncompliance, smoking, substance abuse, first-time hospitalization and people living in temporary housing. There were no significant differences in the racial, gender or age distribution of the two groups.
Today, an update to this study which shows that four years post-Katrina the effects continue, and that heart problems have extended well beyond the expected high risk cohorts.
Study: Katrina Took Toll on Hearts, Too
April 4, 2011
Keith Brannon
kbrannon@tulane.eduThe post-Katrina increase in heart attacks among New Orleans residents persisted even four years after the storm, according to a new study by researchers from Tulane University School of Medicine.
“To our surprise, the increase has occurred in the absence of any change in traditional risk factors — for example, age, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes,” says lead researcher Dr. Anand Irimpen.
While we think of disasters as being short-term events, and recovery something that might take weeks or months, this study shows some of the long-term effects of a major disaster.
Unemployment, financial woes, ruined businesses, destroyed homes, busted plans, the loss of friends and loved ones (through death or simply moving away), and uncertain futures all contribute to ongoing stress and can promote poor health habits.
Of course, there is no reason to believe that these effects are limited to the residents of New Orleans or the Gulf Coast survivors of Katrina.
The quake & tsunami ravaged residents of Northern Japan are probably in store for similar effects, with the added stress of long-term, unknown, and invisible radiation exposure added to the mix.
Similarly, those who live in Haiti, New Zealand, Chile, or any place else recently struck by natural disasters continue to deal with enormous physical, emotional, financial, and sociological impacts.
The burden of a disaster isn’t over just because floodwaters recede, buildings are replaced or repaired, and relief workers have moved on to the next scene.
All of which suggests that a greater emphasis on social and psychological healing may be needed in the aftermath of a major disaster.
Disasters are always heartbreaking.
Now we have evidence to show that it is literally true.
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