Changes in Hospitalization for Ischemic Heart Disease After the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake: 10 Years of Data in a Population of 300, 000. (16th November 2015) - Huang, Kaisen
Abstract: Objective: The effects of earthquakes on ischemic heart disease (IHD) have often been reported. At a population level, this study examined short-term (60-day) and long-term (5-year) hospitalization events for IHD after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Methods: We examined the 10-year medical hospitalization records on IHD in the city of Deyang provided by the Urban Employee Basic Health Insurance program. Results: Evaluation of 19, 083 hospitalizations showed a significantly lower proportional number and cost of hospitalizations in the 60 days after the earthquake ( P <0.001). Hospitalizations were 27.81% lower than would have been expected in a normal year; costs were 32.53% lower. However, in the 5 years after the earthquake, the age-adjusted annual incidence of hospitalization increased significantly ( P <0.001). In the fifth year after the earthquake, it was significantly higher in the extremely hard-hit area than in the hard-hit area ( P <0.01). Conclusion: After the 2008 earthquake, short- and long-term patterns of hospitalization for IHD changed greatly, but in different ways. Our findings suggest that medical resources for IHD should be distributed dynamically over time after an earthquake. ( Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness . 2016;10:203–210)