People who live near airports are used to the sounds of planes taking off and landing.
But a new study suggests that many of them don’t realize that all that noise is harming their heart health.
Researchers report that people who are exposed to high levels of aircraft noise may be at increased risk of heart failure, which increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and irregular heartbeats.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology Residencies, show that people who live near airports have 10% to 20% worse heart structure and function than those who move to stay away from aircraft noise.
Specifically, the heart muscles of such people become stiff and thick over time, making the heart less efficient at pumping blood.
Researchers estimate that such changes in the heart can quadruple a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke.
