Long-term transportation noise exposure and incidence of ischaemic heart disease and stroke: a cohort study

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 76; no. 4; pp. 201 - 207
• Main Authors: Pyko, Andrei, Andersson, Niklas, Eriksson, Charlotta, de Faire, Ulf, Lind, Tomas, Mitkovskaya, Natalya, Ögren, Mikael, Östenson, Claes-Göran, Pedersen, Nancy L, Rizzuto, Debora, Wallas, Alva Käte, Pershagen, Göran
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ 01-04-2019; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Adult; Air pollution; Aircraft; Aircraft noise; ambient air-pollution; Background noise; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Coronary artery disease; Correlation analysis; Diabetes; Disease control; Environmental & Occupational Health; Environmental Health and Occupational Health; Epidemiology; Exposure; Family medical history; Female; Gender differences; Hazards; Health risk assessment; Heart attacks; Heart diseases; Humans; Hypertension; Incidence; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; men; Middle Aged; Miljömedicin och yrkesmedicin; Mortality; Myocardial Ischemia - epidemiology; Myocardial Ischemia - etiology; Noise; Noise - adverse effects; Noise levels; Noise, Transportation - adverse effects; ORIGINAL ARTICLE; Outdoor air quality; Population; Public; Public health; risk; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; road traffic noise; Roads; Roads & highways; Stroke; Stroke - epidemiology; Stroke - etiology; Sweden - epidemiology; Systematic review; Transportation noise; Transportation planning; Twins; Sweden; noise; epidemiology; transport; cardiovascular
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2018-105333

BackgroundThere is limited evidence from longitudinal studies on transportation noise from different sources and development of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke.ObjectivesThis cohort study assessed associations between exposure to noise from road traffic, railway or aircraft and incidence of IHD and stroke.MethodsIn a cohort of 20 012 individuals from Stockholm County, we estimated long-term residential exposure to road traffic, railway and aircraft noise. National Patient and Cause-of-Death Registers were used to identify IHD and stroke events. Information on risk factors was obtained from questionnaires and registers. Adjusted HR for cardiovascular outcomes related to source-specific noise exposure were computed using Cox proportional hazards regression.ResultsNo clear or consistent associations were observed between transportation noise and incidence of IHD or stroke. However, noise exposure from road traffic and aircraft was related to IHD incidence in women, with HR of 1.11 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.22) and 1.25 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.44) per 10 dB Lden, respectively. For both sexes taken together, we observed a particularly high risk of IHD in those exposed to all three transportation noise sources at≥45 dB Lden, with a HR of 1.57 (95% CI 1.06 to 2.32), and a similar tendency for stroke (HR 1.42; 95% CI 0.87 to 2.32).ConclusionNo overall associations were observed between transportation noise exposure and incidence of IHD or stroke. However, there appeared to be an increased risk of IHD in women exposed to road traffic or aircraft noise as well as in those exposed to multiple sources of transportation noise.