Studies: Noise increases the risk of cardiovascular disease

In a report published by the French newspaper " Lefigaro ", author Pauline Freuer said that the French Environmental and Energy Management Agency reported in a study that about 9 million French people are excessively exposed to noise pollution, which causes chronic effects on their health.

The writer explained that, according to the study, among these harmful effects is that noise pollution may cause some cardiovascular diseases, which is not known to the general public, but has become the focus of an increasing number of studies.

The World Health Organization estimates that traffic noise increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 8%, and the organization also indicated that the population of Western Europe is expected to lose 61,000 years of healthy life (a European indicator of the normal number of years that a person should live in Europe). annually.

Night traffic noise

The author quoted research presented by a number of cardiology researchers from the University of Medicine of Mainz in Germany in 2019, confirming that night traffic noise disrupts sleep, increases stress hormone production and causes oxidative stress, which increases the development of dysfunction in the endothelium, a layer of cells that They are found on the surface of internal blood vessels, and they also lead to high blood pressure, which are two risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Metabolic disorders

The author drew attention to Basile Chaikes - who is the director of research at the Inserm-Sorbonne University - in the matter as part of the MobileSense study, which is a study of the impact of transport vehicles on humans through micro-sensing, in which Chaikes' team equipped 290 volunteers with sound sensors to analyze modifications Pressure reported by these people in relation to ambient noise when they are traveling on foot, by train, or by car.

The author added that Chaikes noticed that an increase in the measured sound volume is associated with an increase in pressure, while the second part of the upcoming study will examine the relationship between increased blood pressure and exposure to noise, because stress is generally accompanied by a sharp rise in blood pressure.

Regular exposure to noise

Professor Bernard Pierre, a member of the French Federation of Cardiology, said - according to what the writer said - that high blood pressure remains one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which appear more due to age, heredity, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, diabetes, obesity, psychological stress, lack of activity and an unhealthy lifestyle. sedentary.

"Continuous or regular exposure to excessive noise can make some people feel stressed, increasing the heart rate, which in turn may lead to metabolic disturbances, increased arterial inflammation and the risk of stroke," Pierre said.

The writer emphasized that noise harms health from other aspects, such as insomnia and sleep difficulties, according to studies, noting that bad nights are also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Bernard Pierre emphasized that "there are many confounding factors, i.e. potential interactions with other factors, that make the study of noise as a cardiovascular risk factor complex," adding, "For example, the effects of air pollution and noise pollution on health are often similar, and it is known The former is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, so figures for assessing the impact of noise pollution should be taken with caution, but we can remember that this is not an easy thing."