Is aircraft noise exposure associated with cardiovascular disease and hypertension? Results from a cohort study in Athens Greece

Abstract

Introduction: We followed up, in 2013, the subjects who lived near the Athens International Airport and had participated in the cross-sectional multi-country HYENA study in 2004-06. The objective was to evaluate the association of exposure to aircraft and road traffic noise with the incidence of hypertension and other cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: From the 780 individuals who participated in the cross-sectional study, 537 were still living in the same area and 420 accepted to participate in the follow-up. Aircraft and road traffic noise exposure was based on the estimations conducted in 2004-06, linking geo-coded residential addresses of the participants to noise levels. We applied multiple logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: The incidence of hypertension was significantly associated with higher aircraft noise exposure during the night. Specifically, the OR for hypertension per 10 dB increase in Lnight aircraft noise exposure was 2.63 (95% C.I. 1.21-5.71). Doctor diagnosed cardiac arrhythmia was significantly associated with Lnight, when all cases were considered with an OR of 2.09 (95% CI 1.07, 4.08). Stroke risk was also increased with increasing noise exposure but the association was not significant. The OR per 10 dB Lnight aircraft and the LAeq16hr noise exposure for incident doctor diagnosed hearing impairment events was 3.51 (95% C.I. 1.46-8.44) and 2.33 (95% C.I. 1.26-4.30), respectively. There were no clear association with twenty four hour road traffic noise. Conclusions: In conclusion, the present study suggests that long-term exposure to aircraft noise, particularly during the night, is associated with hypertension and possibly, also, cardiovascular effects.