Healthcare Impacts Associated with Federally Declared Disasters-Hurricanes Gustave and Ike

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Disaster Medicine

Background:

• Disasters can lead to adverse health outcomes, including non-communicable diseases.
• Understanding the impact of disasters on chronic conditions is crucial for public health planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the effects of federal disaster declarations on diagnoses of hypertension (HTN), diabetes (DM), and anxiety.
• To assess changes in these conditions 6 months before and after major hurricanes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of electronic health records from MarketScan® for patients in federally declared disaster areas (Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, 2008).
• Inclusion criteria: patients diagnosed with HTN, DM, or anxiety, seen 6 months pre- or post-disaster.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant association was found between post-disaster periods and hypertension diagnoses (p=0.04).
• No significant associations were observed for diabetes or anxiety diagnoses post-disaster.

Conclusions:

• Disasters, specifically hurricanes, can influence hypertension diagnoses.
• Healthcare disaster planning should incorporate management of non-communicable diseases to mitigate long-term health impacts.