The noise or acoustic pollution caused among others by transport, alters the body at the cellular level, which contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases such as arterial hypertension, stroke or heart failure, according to a study recently published in the Journalof American College of Cardiology.
“Regarding the understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms, a growing body of evidence finds that noise is associated with oxidative stress, vascular dysfunction, autonomic imbalance and metabolic abnormalities, not only enhancing the adverse impact of cardiovascular risk factors,such as arterial hypertension and diabetes, but also contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis and the increase in susceptibility, ”says Thomas Münzel, MD, of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany, and his colleagues.
According to researchers, the global disease burden has moved from transmissible diseases to noncommunicable diseases in the last decade.Although research has focused mainly on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease risk factors, recent studies suggest that physical environmental risk factors can facilitate the development of cardiovascular diseases.
According to Münzel and his colleagues, noise stresses people and is characterized by the activation of the nervous system and the increase in hormone levels, which can cause sequelae that lead to vascular damage.
Mitigation of noise pollution, such as buildings isolation, can reduce exposure to external noise, but is not profitable, the researchers wrote.
"Therefore, because the percentage of the population exposed to harmful noise levels is increasing, new developments and legislation to reduce noise should be important to public health," Münzel and his colleagues.
Future research should focus on magnitude and response to noise and air pollution, the synergistic effects of both on blood pressure and metabolic risk, as well as the effect of exposure to noise in exposure to air pollutionand vice versa, the effect of noise on circadian rhythms and the effects of the noise of lifestyle factors.
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