Exposure to Road Traffic Noise Linked to Primary Hypertension

MONDAY, April 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term exposure to road traffic noise is associated with an increased incidence of primary hypertension, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of JACC: Advances.

Jing Huang, Ph.D., from Peking University in Beijing, and colleagues conducted a prospective population-based analysis in the U.K. Biobank to examine the correlations of long-term road traffic noise exposure with incident primary hypertension. Hazard ratios for an association were examined in a sample of more than 240,000 participants free of hypertension at baseline.

The researchers identified 21,140 incident primary hypertension cases during a median of 8.1 years of follow-up. For a 10-dB[A] increment in mean weighted average 24-hour road traffic noise level (L_den) exposure, the hazard ratio was 1.07. There was a dose-response relationship observed, with a hazard ratio of 1.13 for L_den >65 dB[A] versus ≤55 dB[A]. After adjustment for fine particles and nitrogen dioxide, the associations were all robust. The highest hypertension risk was seen with high exposure to both road traffic noise and air pollution.

"The data demonstrated in this article provide a higher quality of evidence to justify the potential to modify road traffic noise and air pollution from both individual and societal levels in improving cardiovascular health -- namely, hypertension prevention," write the authors of an accompanying editorial.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial