EuroPRevent 2016: Long term exposure to aircraft noise associated with hypertension and organ damage

Participants lived near an airport for three years or more

SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France, 21-Jun-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — Long term exposure to aircraft noise is associated with hypertension and organ damage, reveals research presented today at the EuroPRevent 2016 meeting by Marta Rojek, a researcher at Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow, Poland.¹

“The volume of air traffic has skyrocketed since jet powered planes were introduced in the 1960s,” said Ms Rojek. “According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, there were 64 million take-offs and landings in 2013 and this figure is set to double in the next 20 years.”²

She continued: “The steady growth in air traffic and expansion of airports, along with the development of residential areas near airports, has led to more people being exposed to aircraft noise. There is emerging data to suggest that exposure to aircraft noise may increase the risk of hypertension, particularly at night, and of hospitalisation for cardiovascular diseases – but more evidence is needed.”^3,4,5

The current study assessed the impact of aircraft noise on the development of hypertension and associated asymptomatic organ damage. It included 201 randomly selected adults aged 40 to 66 years who had lived for more than three years in an area with high or low aircraft noise. Of these, 101 were exposed to more than 60 decibels (dB) of aircraft noise on average and 100 were exposed to less than 55 dB and acted as a control group.

For the analysis, the researchers matched the groups in pairs by gender, age, and amount of time living in the area. All participants had their blood pressure measured. Asymptomatic organ damage was assessed by measuring stiffness of the aorta⁶ and the mass and function of the left ventricle.

The investigators found that the group who lived in an area of high aircraft noise had more hypertension than those who lived in a low aircraft noise area (40% versus 24%). They also had higher systolic (146 versus 138 mmHg) and diastolic (89 versus 79 mmHg) blood pressure than the control group.

When they looked at the indicators of asymptomatic organ damage, the researchers found that those who lived near high aircraft noise had stiffer aorta and higher left ventricular mass. The measurements of left ventricular function were less conclusive.

Our results suggest that living near an airport for three years or more is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure and hypertension,” said Ms Rojek. “These changes may then lead to damage of the aorta and heart which could increase the risk of having a heart attack.”

She added: “European Union regulations say that countries must assess and manage environmental noise⁷, and there are national laws on aircraft noise. Poland stipulates a maximum of 55 dB around schools and hospitals and 60 dB for other areas. Noise can be kept below those levels by using only noise-certified aircraft, redirecting flight paths, keeping airports away from homes, and avoiding night flights.”

Ms Rojek concluded: “More work is needed to enforce laws on exposure to aircraft noise as it is detrimental to our health. We also need further research to understand how the damage occurs and whether it can be reversed.”

ENDS

REFERENCES

References and notes

¹Marta Rojek will present the abstract ‘The effect of aircraft noise on blood pressure and asymptomatic organ damage’ on 15 June between 09:00 and 17:00 CEST.

²International Civil Aviation Organization. Council Annual Report. 2013. http://www.icao.int/annual-report-2013/Pages/the-world-of-air-transport-in-2013.aspx

³Eriksson C, Rosenlund M, Pershagen G, Hilding A, Ostenson CG, Bluhm G. Aircraft noise and incidence of hypertension. Epidemiology. 2007;18:716–721.

⁴Correia AW, Peters JL, Levy JI, Melly S, Dominci F. Residential exposure to aircraft noise and hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases: multi-airport retrospective study. British Medical Journal. 2013;347:f5561.

⁵Charakida M, Deanfield JE. Night-time aircraft noise: flying towards arterial disease. European Heart Journal. 2013;34:3472–3474.

⁶Stiffness of the aorta was assessed by measuring carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (the time it takes for the arterial pulse to propagate from the carotid to the femoral artery) and central blood pressure (the pressure in the aorta near the heart).

⁷DIRECTIVE 2002/49/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise

NOTES TO EDITOR

Authors ESC Press Office
Tel: +33 (0)4 89 87 24 83
Email: press@escardio.org

SOURCES OF FUNDING: The study was sponsored by Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow, Poland (scientific grant no K/ZDS/005566).

DISCLOSURES: None.

About EuroPRevent
EuroPRevent, the world’s leading congress in preventive cardiology, is organised by the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR), a registered branch of the ESC.

About the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation
The European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation (EACPR) is a registered branch of the ESC. Its aim is to promote excellence in research, practice, education and policy in cardiovascular health, primary and secondary prevention.

About the European Society of Cardiology
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) represents more than 95 000 cardiology professionals across Europe and worldwide. Its mission is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe.