Occupational exposure to noise and myocardial infarction risk one year later in Sweden

Abstract

Objective: To explore the association between occupational noise exposure and myocardial infarction (MI) one year later. Methods: Data came from the SNOW cohort, comprised of all individuals born between 1930 and 1990 in Sweden, with demographic, occupational, and outcome data available from 1960 until 2017. In this study, we included working individuals with at least one occupational code between 1985 and 2013. These were matched to a job exposure matrix (JEM) in five categories (LAeq8h): <70, 70-74, 75-80, 80-85, >85 dB(A). MI status in the year following exposure was ascertained using the patient register. To account for time-varying occupational data, we utilized a discrete-time proportional hazards model adjusted for individual confounders and other occupational exposures. Results: Preliminary results show that exposure to over 75 dB(A) of occupational is associated with a 13-21% increased risk for MI one year later. After adjusting for psychosocial work exposures, physical workload, exposure to vibrations, and chemical and particle exposure, noise exposure was no longer associated with an increased risk for MI. Conclusion: Exposure to noise was not associated with an increased risk for MI one year later after adjusting for other work exposures among this younger, working population. Additional in-depth analyses are ongoing.