Noise exposure and childhood asthma up to adolescence

• Published in: Environmental research 2020-06, Vol.185, p.109404, Article 109404
• Main Authors: Wallas, Alva Enoksson, Eriksson, Charlotta, Ögren, Mikael, Pyko, Andrei, Sjöström, Mattias, Melén, Erik, Pershagen, Göran, Gruzieva, Olena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: admissions; Adolescents; air-pollution; allergy; association; Asthma; body-mass index; Children; Cohort; disease; environmental; Environmental & Occupational; Environmental Health and Occupational Health; Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Health; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Miljömedicin och yrkesmedicin; noise; Occupational noise; Public; reported traffic density; rhinitis; Road traffic noise
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109404

Increasing evidence indicates aggravation of immune-mediated diseases due to physiological and psychological stress. Noise is a stressor, however, little is known about its effects on children's respiratory health. This study investigates the association between pre- or postnatal road traffic or occupational noise exposure and asthma as well as related symptoms from infancy to adolescence. The study was conducted in the Swedish birth cohort BAMSE, including over 4000 participants followed with repeated questionnaires and clinical tests until 16 years of age. Pre- and postnatal residential road traffic noise was assessed by estimating time-weighted average noise levels at the most exposed façade. Maternal occupational noise exposure during pregnancy was evaluated using a job-exposure-matrix. The associations between noise exposure and asthma-related outcomes were explored using logistic regression and generalised estimating equations. We observed non-significant associations for asthma ever up to 16 years with residential road traffic noise exposure in infancy ≥55 dBLden (adjusted OR = 1.22; 95% CI 0.90–1.65), as well as prenatal occupational noise exposure ≥80 dBLAeq,8h (1.18, 0.85–1.62). In longitudinal analyses, however, no clear associations between pre- or postnatal exposure to residential road traffic noise, or average exposure to noise since birth, were detected in relation to asthma or wheeze until 16 years. We did not find a clear overall association between exposure to noise during different time periods and asthma or wheeze up to adolescence. •Evidence between respiratory health effects and environmental noise exposure is only sparsely available, particularly in children.•The present study is the first to investigate time aspects of long-term exposure to environmental noise in the context of childhood airway disease.•We found no consistent association between exposure to noise during different time periods and asthma or wheeze up to adolescence.