Relationship among long-term aircraft noise exposure, blood pressure profile, and arterial stiffness

To assess the impact of long-term exposure to aircraft noise on blood pressure (BP), prevalence of arterial hypertension, and indices of asymptomatic organ damage.

Using acoustic maps, we selected and further compared people living (average 35 years) in areas exposed to high, more than 60 dB (n = 101), and low aircraft noise, less than 55 dB (n = 100). Medical history taking, office BP measurement, ambulatory BP monitoring, and echocardiographic and arterial stiffness measurements were performed.

Exposure to aircraft noise did not increase the prevalence of arterial hypertension (50%, both groups) but was associated with higher office (88.3 ± 11.4 vs. 79.8 ± 8.6 mmHg, P < 0.001) and night-time DBP (66.6 ± 9.5 vs. 63.6 ± 7.3 mmHg, P < 0.01). Participants exposed to a high aircraft noise level had a higher carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) (10.3 ± 1.8 vs. 9.4 ± 1.4 m/s, P < 0.01) and lower early mitral annulus velocity (e') (8.4 ± 2.9 vs. 9.2 ± 3.4 cm/s, P = 0.047). These differences were independent of age, sex, BMI, education, time spent at home, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and antihypertensive treatment. Higher office and night-time DBP, PWV, and e' values were explicitly observed in exposed normotensive participants. PWV in aircraft noise-exposed normotensive participants was equal to that of two decades older unexposed normotensive participants and was significantly associated with noise annoyance.

Long-term aircraft noise exposure is related to higher office and night-time DBP, more advanced arterial stiffness, and unfavourable left ventricle diastolic function changes. Accelerated arterial stiffening was observed in those exposed to aircraft noise, even normotensive participants, to a degree depending on noise annoyance.