Traffic noise found to harm the cardiovascular system on a cellular level

 A new study that has been published in an issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found out that noise interferes with the body on a cellular level, so much so that it can cause heart diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes.

• In this study, researchers reviewed several cases of novel translational noise studies that provided an insight into what factors could have led to impaired vascular function. They also looked at evidence of noise-induced cardiovascular disease and the non-auditory effects of noise and how it impacts the cardiovascular system.
• According to the evidence that the researchers gathered, noise causes a stress response, which happens due to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and a rise in hormone level, which will then initiate sequela (a condition that is the consequence of previous disease or injury) and result in vascular impairment.
• Such stress response increases the risk of the release of anxiety hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which are responsible for the body’s “fight or flight” syndrome and can cause the heart to pump more quickly and increase blood pressure.
• Moreover, the researchers found out that among the kinds of noise, it is transportation noise that is the most likely cause of heart disease risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes because noise is linked to oxidative stress, autonomic imbalance, metabolic abnormalities, and vascular dysfunction.

The researchers concluded that mitigation strategies like traffic management and regulation, the creation of low-noise tires, quieter brakes on trains, and air traffic curfews could help in lessening the risk factors that transportation noise might have in contributing to cardiovascular disease.

Journal Reference:

American College of Cardiology. TRAFFIC NOISE-INDUCED HARM TO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180205141116.htm>.