Transportation noise linked to new chronic kidney disease
Higher noise exposure was linked to odds of new chronic kidney disease 1.15 to 1.28 times those at lower exposure levels.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational cohort study followed 99,065 Mass General Brigham Biobank participants, whose median age was 57 years; 58.1% were female. Researchers excluded people with kidney disease before enrollment and followed participants until 2020. They used a US transportation noise map to estimate annual average noise from roads, railways and aircraft at each participant’s home.
Higher noise exposure was associated with new chronic kidney disease after adjustment for age, sex, smoking and other health factors. The association remained after accounting for socioeconomic factors. Higher noise exposure was also linked to newly developed high blood pressure and diabetes. Statistical analyses suggested that these conditions partly accounted for the association between noise and subsequent kidney disease.
Why it matters
The findings raise a prevention question for chronic kidney disease: whether people exposed to high noise levels may benefit from closer screening and treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes.
Caveats
This observational study could not establish cause and effect, and the association did not consistently remain after adjustment for air pollution. The findings were reported in a congress abstract.
