Hurricane Katrina Prompted CVD Spike in Older Adults

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found a sudden increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD) among older adults, brought on by psychosocial and post-traumatic stress as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, reports Healio . The investigators analyzed CVD hospitalization records of Louisianans at least 65 years old between 2005 and 2006 from a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid database. Data between African-American and white adults in the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, and East Baton Rouge before and after the storm was assessed. Hospitalizations in the Orleans Parish increased on the sixth day after landfall, from 7.25 to 18.5 cases daily per 10,000 adults aged at least 65. Within about two months, CVD rates in older adults reverted to normal levels. Meanwhile, racial disparities in CVD rates rose a week after landfall, to 26.3 plus or minus 23.7 cases per day per 10,000 African-American adults aged 65, and 16.6 plus or minus 11.7 cases per day per 10,000 white adults aged 65. The researchers argued resource allocation and access disparities must be resolved in disaster preparation and mitigation. "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," they concluded.