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Study Demonstrates Link Between Heart Disease and Hurricane Sandy

Christy Bowen

5 hours ago
Homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 serve as a haunting reminder that the storm’s effects didn’t end with the flooding—many survivors faced lasting health consequences for years. (Wikimedia)

A new study is demonstrating how living through a natural disaster can take a toll on one's physical health over time. A team of researchers found a long-term link between 2012's Hurricane Sandy and future heart disease risk.

Study in JAMA Highlights Connection Between Hurricane Sandy and Heart Disease

Aerial view of homes surrounded by floodwaters after Hurricane Sandy. Researchers later found residents in these flooded areas faced higher long-term risks of heart disease and stroke due to the storm’s lasting effects on health and stress. (Wikimedia)

People who experienced the devastating flooding impacts from Hurricane Sandy ended up with a significantly higher chance of developing strokes, heart attacks, or heart failure years after the severe weather event. The study was recently published in JAMA Network Open, a monthly medical journal published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Dr. Arnab Ghosh, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cornell Medicine and lead author of this study, witnessed firsthand the flooding when he was working in New York City when the hurricane hit the region at the end of October. The proximity to the storm and its immediate impacts in the medical field piqued Ghosh's curiosity about the potential long-term impacts of the event on his patients.

What Ghosh found was that the short-term disruptions in quality medical care during the storm and its aftermath contributed to severe long-term consequences for issues such as uncontrolled blood pressure. The widespread power outages were also to blame for a lack of medication for diabetes patients. Not being able to control your environment can have serious health implications down the road.

While Sandy affected dozens of states up and down the East Coast, the study's findings were particularly worrisome for people who were living in New Jersey at the time. Ghosh's research revealed that the chance of developing strokes, heart attacks, and heart failure was noticeably elevated for up to five years after Sandy's landfall. The risk of developing these conditions was approximately 1 in 20 for those who were living in flooded zip codes.

The results of this study are in line with the findings of other data points from different natural disasters. Researchers have long pointed out that the impacts of these disruptive weather events are often far greater than initially reported.

For example, a study from Nature Magazine found that a hurricane strike produces 7,000 to 10,000 excess fatalities in the decade following the landfall. Ghosh also expressed that he was not surprised by the findings, as physicians routinely worry about the lingering and indirect impacts of natural disasters.  

In addition to the short-term consequences of not having access to perishable medications or quality medical care, there are a variety of stressors that can contribute to a higher risk of developing heart disease after an event of Sandy's magnitude. These factors include flood damage, insurance disputes, and the potential need to relocate. Any type of life stress naturally raises the risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, dealing with a natural disaster inherently increases stress.

This is not the first study of its kind. Researchers also found a link between long-term health issues in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2007 and the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

How to Apply These Findings


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