Study: Heart Attacks Up In New Jersey After Superstorm Sandy
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Rutgers University researchers say there was a spike in heart attacks and strokes in the New Jersey counties hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy.
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School compared heart attacks and strokes and the deaths they caused in the two weeks after the storm with the same period in five previous years.
Study: Heart Attacks Up In New Jersey After Sandy
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.
"Although we do not know exactly how they came about, it is very probable that it came because of stress," the study's co-author Dr. John Kostis told WCBS 880's Levon Putney.
The study found roadblocks may have caused delays in treatment and evacuations may also have caused people to skip taking medicine and alter diets.
"Most of the attacks were seen in older folks," co-author Joel Swerdel said, adding that they're looking to see if a spike in dehydration cases was a factor.
"While we cannot prevent stress, we can make sure older relatives not only have water when power's out, but also make sure they're actually drinking the water," Swerdel said.
Swerdel told The Record newspaper that knowing the likely effects of such a weather disaster can help hospitals prepare for the next one.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories:
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
