Long term relations between earthquake experiences and coronary heart disease risk factors

The authors analyzed the relations between a variety of earthquake-related experiences incurred in 1983-1984 (financial loss, evacuation, indices of d isruption of social networks) and coronary heart disease risk factors (hear t rate, blood pressure, total serum cholesterol) assessed in 1987 among 693 Italian male factory workers. Multivariate analyses (adjusting for age, bo dy mass index, smoking, and educational level) revealed no long term relati ons between the quake-related experiences and blood pressure or cholesterol level. However, higher resting heart rates were observed for individuals w ho reported financial loss, increased distance from family/friends, or decr eased visiting as a result of relocation after the quakes. Findings were un changed after further adjustment for self-reported psychological distress ( assessed using the global symptom index of the Symptom Checklist). These fi ndings, while limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data, suggest th at a number of psychosocial consequences of relocation due to a natural dis aster are unrelated in the long term to coronary heart disease risk factors , except for small but significant differences in heart rate among individu als who have experienced financial loss and/or social network disruptions.