A new study by the American College of Cardiology points to how people can develop hypertension as a result of exposure to road traffic noise.
The big point: Researchers found that there is an elevated risk of developing hypertension with increased exposure to road traffic noise and that this risk can increase with an increase in the “dose” of noise present in the surroundings. These findings were found to be applicable even after the levels of fine particles and nitrogen dioxide present in the surroundings were adjusted.
But.. That's not all...They also found that those with significant exposure to road traffic noise, as well as air pollution, showed the highest risk of hypertension, thereby suggesting the possible role of air pollution as a contributor.
“We were a little surprised that the association between road traffic noise and hypertension was robust even after adjustment for air pollution."Jing Huang, Lead Author