An elevated frequency of admissions for acute myocardial infarction was sustained for up to 6 years after Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans, possibly because of the stress of rebuilding, a single-center study showed.
In the 2 years before the storm, 0.7% of all admissions were for acute MI; in the 6 years after the medical center reopened after the storm, 2.4% of admissions were for heart attacks, according to Matthew Peters, MD, of Tulane University in New Orleans, and colleagues.
The findings, which were reported in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, could be related to several factors, they noted -- including "population shifts, alterations in the healthcare system, and the effects of chronic stress and associated behaviors" -- and could have implications for natural disaster preparedness.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/MyocardialInfarction/44903
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