Association between Noise Pollution and Prevalent Ischemic Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: Noise pollution is considered a risk factor for ischemic heart disease (IHD). Both are highly prevalent in Bulgaria, but their association has not been studied sufficiently.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine the risk of IHD associated with road traffic (Lden) and lifetime occupational noise exposure (LONE) in a Bulgarian sample.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 513 residents of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. A questionnaire asked about doctor-diagnosed IHD, LONE and confounding factors. Lden was derived from official noise map after geocoding participants' addresses. In log-link Poisson regressions we investigated the relative risks of prevalent IHD. Sensitivity analyses examined subgroup differences.

RESULTS: Lden ≥ 65 dB was associated with higher risk (RR=1.84, 95% CI: 0.61, 5.57) of IHD in long-term residents (≥ 20 years). LONE was associated with RR=1.76 (0.82, 3.78) for ever-exposed; and RR=2.35 (1.00, 5.52) for 15 - 47 years exposure.

CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to Lden≥65 dB was associated with non-significantly higher risk of IHD. Longer LONE was consistently associated with higher risk. In some subgroups the effect of noise was more pronounced.