Residential exposure to transportation noise and risk of incident atrial fibrillation: a pooled study of 11 prospective Nordic cohorts

Jesse D Thacher, Nina Roswall, Mikael Ögren, Andrei Pyko, Agneta Åkesson, Anna Oudin, Annika Rosengren, Aslak H Poulsen, Charlotta Eriksson, David Segersson, Debora Rizzuto, Emilie Helte, Eva M Andersson, Gunn Marit Aasvang, Gunnar Engström, Hrafnhildur Gudjonsdottir, Jenny Selander, Jesper H Christensen, Jørgen Brandt, Karin LeanderKim Overvad, Kristoffer Mattisson, Kristina Eneroth, Lara Stucki, Lars Barregard, Leo Stockfelt, Maria Albin, Mette K Simonsen, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Pekka Jousilahti, Pekka Tiittanen, Petter L S Ljungman, Steen S Jensen, Susanna Gustafsson, Tarja Yli-Tuomi, Thomas Cole-Hunter, Timo Lanki, Youn-Hee Lim, Zorana J Andersen, Göran Pershagen, Mette Sørensen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Transportation noise has been linked with cardiometabolic outcomes, yet whether it is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) remains inconclusive. We aimed to assess whether transportation noise was associated with AF in a large, pooled Nordic cohort.

METHODS: We pooled data from 11 Nordic cohorts, totaling 161,115 participants. Based on address history from five years before baseline until end of follow-up, road, railway, and aircraft noise was estimated at a residential level. Incident AF was ascertained via linkage to nationwide patient registries. Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to estimate associations between running 5-year time-weighted mean transportation noise (L den) and AF after adjusting for sociodemographics, lifestyle, and air pollution.

FINDINGS: We identified 18,939 incident AF cases over a median follow-up of 19.6 years. Road traffic noise was associated with AF, with a hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.02 (1.00-1.04) per 10-dB of 5-year mean time-weighted exposure, which changed to 1.03 (1.01-1.06) when implementing a 53-dB cut-off. In effect modification analyses, the association for road traffic noise and AF appeared strongest in women and overweight and obese participants. Compared to exposures ≤40 dB, aircraft noise of 40.1-50 and > 50 dB were associated with HRs of 1.04 (0.93-1.16) and 1.12 (0.98-1.27), respectively. Railway noise was not associated with AF. We found a HR of 1.19 (1.02-1.40) among people exposed to noise from road (≥45 dB), railway (>40 dB), and aircraft (>40 dB) combined.

INTERPRETATION: Road traffic noise, and possibly aircraft noise, may be associated with elevated risk of AF.

FUNDING: NordForsk.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101091
Pages (from-to)1-12
JournalThe Lancet regional health. Europe
Volume46
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024 Nov

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Environmental Health and Occupational Health

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