Road traffic noise, blood pressure and heart rate: Pooled analyses of harmonized data from 88,336 participants.
BACKGROUND
Exposure to road traffic noise may increase blood pressure and heart rate. It is unclear to what extent exposure to air pollution may influence this relationship. We investigated associations between noise, blood pressure and heart rate, with harmonized data from three European cohorts, while taking into account exposure to air pollution.


METHODS
Road traffic noise exposure was assessed using a European noise model based on the Common Noise Assessment Methods in Europe framework (CNOSSOS-EU). Exposure to air pollution was estimated using a European-wide land use regression model. Blood pressure and heart rate were obtained by trained clinical professionals. Pooled cross-sectional analyses of harmonized data were conducted at the individual level and with random-effects meta-analyses.


RESULTS
We analyzed data from 88,336 participants, across the three participating cohorts (mean age 47.0 (±13.9) years). Each 10dB(A) increase in noise was associated with a 0.93 (95% CI 0.76;1.11) bpm increase in heart rate, but with a decrease in blood pressure of 0.01 (95% CI -0.24;0.23) mmHg for systolic and 0.38 (95% CI -0.53; -0.24) mmHg for diastolic blood pressure. Adjustments for PM10or NO2attenuated the associations, but remained significant for DBP and HR. Results for BP differed by cohort, with negative associations with noise in LifeLines, no significant associations in EPIC-Oxford, and positive associations with noise >60dB(A) in HUNT3.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that road traffic noise may be related to increased heart rate. No consistent evidence for a relation between noise and blood pressure was found.
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Epidemiology, Groningen, The Netherlands; ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: wilma.zijlema@isglobal.org.
Wilma
W
Zijlema
MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Yutong
Y
Cai
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montréal, Québec, Canada; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Dany
D
Doiron
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Stéphane
S
Mbatchou
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Isabel
I
Fortier
MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
John
J
Gulliver
MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Kees
K
de Hoogh
MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
David
D
Morley
MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Susan
S
Hodgson
MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Paul
P
Elliott
Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Timothy
T
Key
HUNT Research Centre, Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Levanger, Norway.
Havard
H
Kongsgard
HUNT Research Centre, Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Levanger, Norway.
Kristian
K
Hveem
National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, USA.
Amadou
A
Gaye
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Paul
P
Burton
ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Anna
A
Hansell
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Epidemiology, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Ronald
R
Stolk
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Judith
J
Rosmalen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009624:Noise, Transportation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055815:Young Adult
Air pollution; Blood pressure; Epidemiology; Heart rate; Meta-analysis; Noise