People who live close to airports and are exposed to high aircraft noise levels could be at greater risk of poor heart function, increasing the likelihood of heart attacks, life-threatening heart rhythms and strokes, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), looked at detailed heart imaging data from 3,635 people who lived close to four major airports in England.
Within this group, the research team compared the hearts of those who lived in areas with higher aircraft noise with those who lived in lower aircraft noise areas.They found that those who lived in areas with higher than recommended aircraft noise levels had stiffer and thicker heart muscles* that contracted and expanded less easily and were less efficient at pumping blood around the body.
This was especially the case for people exposed to higher aircraft noise at night, potentially due to factors such as impaired sleep and the fact that people are more likely to be at home at night and therefore exposed to the noise.
The researchers found in separate analyses of people not exposed to aircraft noise, that these types of heart abnormalities could result in two- to four-fold increased risks of a major cardiac event such as a heart attack, life-threatening heart rhythms, or stroke when compared to the risk of persons without any of these heart abnormalities.
Senior author Dr Gaby Captur (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science and consultant cardiologist at the Royal Free Hospital, London) said: "Our study is observational so we cannot say with certainty that high levels of aircraft noise caused these differences in heart structure and function.
"However, our findings add to a growing body of evidence that aircraft noise can adversely affect heart health and our health more generally.
"Concerted efforts from government and industry are needed to reduce our exposure to aircraft noise and mitigate its impact on the health of millions of people who live close to airports or under flight paths."
Professor Anna Hansell from the University of Leicester added: "We are concerned that the type of abnormalities we saw with night-time aircraft noise might result in increased risk of heart problems and stroke. Aircraft noise at night has been shown to affect sleep quality and this may be an important factor affecting health.
"The role of noise on heart health is currently under investigation. However, there are many established ways to look after your heart. These include eating a healthy and balanced diet, keeping physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, giving up smoking if you smoke, reducing alcohol consumption, keeping conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes under control, and taking medication including cholesterol-lowering drugs if prescribed by your doctor."
Source: ScienceDAily
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