Do you live under a flight path? Study shows heart attack rates 70% higher in the loudest areas –

Living under a noisy flight path or near a busy road isn’t just annoying, a study suggests it can increase your risk of heart attack.

Scientists from New Jersey found that heart attack rates were 72% higher in areas of the US state with the highest levels of noise pollution.

They estimate that one in 20 heart attacks can be attributed to traffic noise, which previous studies have suggested can disrupt sleep and cause chronic stress.

The study was presented today at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific session in Washington, DC.

The study’s lead author, Professor Abel Moreyra, a cardiologist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, said noise pollution should be viewed as a risk factor for heart disease, just like blood pressure and diet.

“As cardiologists, we’re used to thinking about many traditional risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension or diabetes,” he said.

“This study and others suggest that we may need to start considering air and noise pollution as additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”

In the study, researchers compared state data on heart attack registries in 2018 with government data on traffic noise, broken down by geography, over the same time period.

They divided approximately 16,000 heart attack patients by the average noise level they were exposed to over a 24-hour period.

Persons exposed to an average of 65 decibels or more of noise during the day were counted in a noise-exposed area.

That equates to someone who is constantly smiling in the same room as you, day and night.

The researchers found that heart attack rates were 72% higher in areas with noise pollution exceeding the average daily decibel level.

These areas had 3,336 heart attacks per 100,000 people, while in quieter areas 1,938 heart attacks per 100,000 people.

The study was observational, meaning it did not explore how noise pollution might lead to heart attacks.

However, Professor Moreyra said it has previously been linked to stress, sleep disturbances and emotional distress such as anxiety and depression, which can affect cardiovascular health.

Chronic stress, in particular, is linked to inflammation of the arteries and the resulting risk of heart disease, he added.

Professor Moreyra acknowledged that traffic pollution, which has a stronger link to heart problems, may also have played a role.

Small toxic particles in the air can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause a variety of problems, including inflammation.

Other limitations of the study are that it did not take into account other demographic and socioeconomic heart attack patients, which may have affected the noise levels or risks to which people at work, such as construction work, are exposed.

Professor Moreyra said future studies could explore these areas to better determine the precise risk of noise pollution for heart health.

In the UK, around 100,000 people are hospitalized each year after a heart attack – the equivalent of one hospitalization every five minutes.

This figure is much higher in the United States, with 850,000 heart attacks per year.

According to the Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ 2019 report, around 886,000 people in the UK are exposed to noise levels above 65 decibels per day.