Residential road traffic noise as a risk factor for hypertension in adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis of analytic studies published in the period 2011–2017

Multiple cross-sectional studies indicated an association between hypertension and road traffic noise and they were recently synthetized in a World Health Organization (WHO) systematic evidence review. However, recent years have seen a growing body of high-quality, large-scale research, which is missing from the WHO review. Therefore, the authors aimed to close that gap by conducting an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on the exposure-response relationship between residential road traffic noise and the risk of hypertension in adults. Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Internet, conference proceedings, reference lists, and expert archives in English, Russian, and Spanish through August 5, 2017. The risk of bias for each extracted estimate and the overall quality of evidence were evaluated using a list of predefined safeguards against bias related to different study characteristics and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system, respectively. The inverse variance heterogeneity (IVhet) model was used for meta-analysis. The possibility of publication bias was evaluated by funnel and Doi plots, and asymmetry in these was tested with Egger's test and the Luis Furuya-Kanamori index, respectively. Sensitivity analyses included leave-one-out meta-analysis, subgroup meta-analysis with meta-regressions, and non-linear exposure-response meta-analysis. Based on seven cohort and two case-control studies (n = 5 514 555; 14 estimates; L_den range ≈ 25–90 dB(A)), the authors found “low” evidence of RR _{per 10 dB(A)} = 1.018 (95% CI: 0.984, 1.053), moderate heterogeneity (I² = 46%), and no publication bias. In the subgroup of cohort studies, the authors found “moderate” evidence of RR _{per 10 dB(A)} = 1.018 (95% CI: 0.987, 1.049), I² = 31%, and no publication bias. In conclusion, residential road traffic noise was associated with higher risk of hypertension in adults, but the risk was lower than previously reported in the systematic review literature.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.122
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117349886
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/02697491
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Dzhambov, Angel M
  • Dimitrova, Donka D
  • 0000-0002-0713-7566
• Publication Date: 2018-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 306-318
• Serial:
  • Environmental Pollution
  • Volume: 240
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier Publishing Company, Limited
  • ISSN: 0269-7491
  • Serial URL: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-pollution

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adults; Cardiovascular diseases; Hypertension; Meta-analysis; Residential areas; Sensitivity analysis; Traffic noise
• Uncontrolled Terms: Systematic reviews
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01680465
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 17 2018 10:32AM