Original Article
Hypertension Research (2008) 31, 641–647; doi:10.1291/hypres.31.641
The Effects of Chronic Exposure to Aircraft Noise on the Prevalence of Hypertension
Moo-Yong Rhee1, Hae-Young Kim2, Sang-Chul Roh3, Hyun-Joo Kim3 and Ho-Jang Kwon4
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Korea
2Craniomaxillofacial Life Science 21, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
3Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
4Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
Correspondence: Moo-Yong Rhee, M.D., Ph.D., Cardiovascular Center, Dongguk University International Hospital, 814 Siksa-dong, Ilsan-donggu, Goyang, Gyeonggi 410-773, Korea. E-mail: rheemy@dongguk.ac.kr
Received 23 August 2007; Accepted 31 October 2007.
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Abstract
Exposure to environmental noise has been suggested to increase the prevalence of hypertension. The present study investigated whether or not chronic exposure to military aircraft noise is related to an increased prevalence of hypertension. The study population consisted of 137 subjects (mean age 60±14 years) who lived within 5 km of a helicopter airbase and 486 subjects (58±16 years) living within 5 km of a fighter-jet airbase. A control group consisted of 252 subjects (58±16 years) not exposed to aircraft noise. Overall, the subjects exposed to military aircraft noise had a higher prevalence of hypertension than those in the control group (p=0.037). However, whereas those exposed to helicopter noise had a higher prevalence than the control group (p=0.020), those exposed to fighter-jet noise did not (p=0.094). The prevalence of known hypertension in the helicopter group was higher than in the control group (p=0.024). The prevalence odds ratio for hypertension adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, current smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes, and regular exercise was 1.62 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.02–2.59) for the subjects exposed to helicopter noise, and 1.23 (95% CI, 0.87–1.74) for those exposed to fighter-jet noise. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that chronic exposure to military aircraft noise may be associated with hypertension. The difference in the effects between helicopter and fighter-jet noise implies that different kinds of noise will have different influences on the prevalence of hypertension.
Keywords: hypertension, aircraft noise, military aircraft
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