Systematic review and meta-analyses of association between transportation noise and Ischaemic heart disease based on studies published between 1994 - 2022

Abstract

There is a growing body of evidence that exposure to transportation noise can increase the risk for ischaemic heart disease (IHD). However, there are significant variations in the pooled exposure-response relationships (ERRs) derived by recent meta-analyses. These discrepancies lead to uncertainties in health impact assessments and in public health policy decision-making. Updated analyses are needed to better understand this relationship. This paper presents an update to recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigating the effects of transportation noise exposure on IHD mortality and morbidity. Specific aims are to understand if studies published since 2019 affect pooled ERRs and assess if evidence for aircraft and railway noise exposure has strengthened. We included studies from two meta-analyses and one literature review covering the years 1994-2020. We then conducted an updated literature search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Medline for the period October 2020 and January 2022, following the same protocol as the WHO Environmental Noise Systemic Review Group. 30 studies were included from the previous reviews, and nine further studies were identified via the updated literature search. The studies present risk estimates for IHD incidence (n=36), prevalence (n=5) mortality (n=26). The updated evidence and exposure response analysis is presented for Lden.