Study finds dramatic jump in N.J. heart attacks after Superstorm Sandy struck
DECEMBER 11, 2014, 11:12 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014, 11:16 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Superstorm Sandy ripped houses from their foundations, reshaped the Jersey Shore and shuttered countless businesses in October 2012, but now researchers at Rutgers University tell of another devastating consequence: It increased the rate of heart attacks and stroke among people grappling with the disaster, leading to many additional deaths.
In one of the first studies of its kind to look at the health effects of an extreme weather event, a team at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School compared heart attacks and strokes and the deaths they caused in the two weeks following the unprecedented storm with the same two-week period in five previous years.
In the most dramatic finding, researchers found a 22 percent increase in heart attacks — and a 31 percent higher death rate for those patients within a month of being stricken.
“Overall, Sandy likely added 125 cases of MI [myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks] and nearly 70 additional deaths,” the study concluded. “It also likely contributed 36 additional strokes in the most severely hit areas.”
Eight counties — Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, Sussex and Union — were included in the high-impact area for the analysis.