Noise pollution during pregnancy and congenital issues: systematic review and meta-analysis

This study provides a systematic review of the literature on the association between noise pollution during pregnancy and congenital malformations, including neural tube defects, orofacial clefts, cardiac defects, and hearing dysfunction.

The search used the keywords "noise pollution during pregnancy" and "congenital issues." Two independent investigators extracted studies from Web of Science, Medline (PubMed), Embase, and Scopus through July 2024. After removing duplicates, a systematic review of 11 studies and a meta-analysis of 9 studies were conducted, involving 1,522,346 participants. The review followed PRISMA guidelines and utilized the JBI critical appraisal checklist. Data were extracted in Excel and analyzed using STATA 17.

Noise pollution during pregnancy was significantly associated with congenital anomalies (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.25-2.27, I² = 69.77%). However, no significant association was established between noise pollution and heart defects (OR = 1.48, 95% CI : 0.97-2.15).

This study concludes that women exposed to noise pollution during pregnancy are at an increased risk of congenital anomalies, emphasizing the need for further research on its effects on pregnancy outcomes.