Environmental noise may play a crucial role in the growth and worsening of ischemic heart disease.
A new study by University Medical Center Mainz in Germany found that aircraft noise can contribute to heart attacks and worsen cardiovascular outcomes.
Why it matters
Aircraft noise causes the body to release stress hormones, leading to an inflammatory response in the blood vessels, increasing the risk of myocardial infarction (MI).
A closer look
- After inducing an MI in mice, researchers found that pre-exposure to aircraft noise caused more damage to the heart muscle and more significant impairment.
- The mice were exposed to an average sound level of 72 dB, with a peak of 85 dB.
- The noise caused the adhesion of inflammatory cells in cardiovascular tissues.
- Comparable data from the Gutenberg Health Study of over 15,000 people was found, suggesting the negative effects of aircraft noise on heart function in mice is also seen in humans.
"We learned from our studies that aircraft noise exposure before MI substantially amplifies subsequent cardiovascular inflammation and aggravates ischemic heart failure facilitated by pro-inflammatory vascular conditioning. Our translational results show that humans that had noise exposure in the past will have a worse outcome if they have an acute MI later in life." —Michael Molitor, MD and Philip Wenzel, MD, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
The takeaway
Reducing environmental noise of any type might improve the clinical outcomes of people who have suffered a heart attack.
"The results were stunning…There is no doubt anymore that transportation noise must be considered an important cardiovascular risk factor comparable to hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, smoking, and diabetes mellitus." —Thomas Münzel, MD, is Chief of the Department of Cardiology at the University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
