Noise can increase the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease

A new study found that 10 decibels of neighborhood noise during the day increased the odds of mild cognitive impairment by 36% and the odds of Alzheimer’s disease by 30%.

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias affect millions of older people in the United States, but they are not equal.Identified in past studies Risk factor Increasingly, studies point to noise as another impact on the risk of dementia, including genetics, education, racism, and air pollution.

“We are still in the early stages of research noise Jennifer Weave, lead author and associate professor of public health at Boston University, said: health.

“If that turns out to be true, policies and other interventions could be used to reduce the noise levels experienced by millions of people,” she said, the US Environmental Protection Agency said. Finally, we have set community noise level guidelines. 1970s. “These guidelines were set to protect against hearing loss. Many of the participants were exposed to much lower levels.”

The survey included 5,227 seniors participating in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) and tracked a total of 10,802 people aged 65 and over who have lived in Chicago’s South Side since the 1990s. Researchers interviewed participants and tested their cognitive function every three years.

for neighborhood For noise levels, researchers used the Chicago regional model from previous studies. The study collected samples of A-weighted noise (frequency important to human hearing) at 136 unique locations during non-daytime rush hours from 2006 to 2007, and others. Geographical factors (land use and proximity to roads and bus stops — to estimate noise levels everywhere in the Chicago area. (Follow-up sampling shows that the model is still accurate in the vicinity of 2016 CHAP participants. It turned out to be.)

In a new study, researchers analyzed the relationship between the cognitive function of CHAP participants and the noise levels in the neighborhood where they lived for 10 years. They also investigated how date of birth, gender, race, education level, household income, alcohol intake, smoking status, physical activity, and socioeconomic status in the neighborhood affect this relationship. ..

After considering these other factors, study participants living with 10 decibels more noise near their home during the day had 36% higher odds for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. We found that the odds were 30% higher. The only factor they found to influence this relationship was the socio-economic status of the neighborhood, with low socio-economic status residents having noise levels and odds of Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment It showed the strongest association between them.

“These findings suggest that within a typical urban community in the United States, high levels of noise can affect the brains of older people and make them difficult to function without assistance. “We are,” said Sarah D. Adar, an associate professor of epidemiology and senior author of the study, at Anavar, Faculty of Public Health, University of Michigan.

“This is an important discovery, as millions of Americans are now affected by the high levels of noise in the community,” she says. “Until now, noise hasn’t received much attention in the United States, but there are public health opportunities here. intervention This can reduce exposure at both the individual and population levels. “

The study will be displayed in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.. Additional co-authors are from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Chicago Rush University, Washington University School of Public Health, and University of California, Davis.

Support for this study was provided by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging.

Source: Boston University