Researchers at the Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have found evidence that Hurricane Sandy had a significant effect on cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke, in the high-impact areas of New Jersey two weeks following the 2012 storm.
In the two weeks following Hurricane Sandy, the researchers found a 22 percent increase in heart attacks occurred in the eight counties determined to be high-impact areas as compared with the same time period in the previous five years. In the low impact areas (the remaining 13 counties), the increase was less than one percent. The 30-day mortality from heart attacks also increased by 31 percent in the high-impact area.
"We estimate that there were 69 more deaths from myocardial infarction during the two weeks following Sandy than would have been expected. This is a significant increase over typical non-emergency periods," said Swerdel. "Our hope is that the research may be used by the medical community, particularly emergency medical services, to prepare for the change in volume and severity of health incidents during extreme weather events."
To read the rest of this story by Jennifer Forbes, go to: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-12-hurricane-sandy-incidence-heart.html
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