Time to Recovery in Diabetes and Comorbidities Following Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground:The impact of a natural disaster on self-care and health care delivery has been well documented. The objective of the study was to document the recovery pattern from the impact of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina on clinical and biochemical measures of diabetes and its comorbidities.Methods:Patients were selected from Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, and the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans. Adults with diabetes and A1cmeasurement 6 months before (pre-K) Hurricane Katrina (February 28, 2005–August 27, 2005) and 6 to 16 months after (post-K) Katrina (March 1, 2006–December 31, 2006) were identified within the 3 facilities. Follow-up data (January 1, 2007–December 31, 2007) were 1 year after the first post-K visit. The outcome measures were hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), and lipids (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL], triglycerides).Results:Averaged across the 3 facilities, the parameters significantly different in the follow-up period compared with pre- and post-K were HbA1c(P= .04), HDL, and systolic and diastolic BP (P< .0001). Parameters with significantly different patterns of change in the 3 facilities over time were HbA1c, HDL, systolic and diastolic BP (P< .0001), and low-density lipoprotein (P< .01).Conclusions:Our results suggest that a variety of clinical and biochemical parameters related to diabetes and its comorbidities affected by natural disaster have varied the rate of recovery to predisaster levels.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:S33-S38)