Impact of Personal Mitigation on Mechanisms Linking Transportation Noise Exposure to Cardiometabolic Disease

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to understand how transportation noise from cars, planes, and trains impacts heart and metabolic health. Noise exposure causes stress by triggering changes in the brain and activating the "fight or flight" response, which can lead to inflammation and blood vessel disease. Because noise often occurs alongside other stressors like air pollution and low income, and few laws or medical treatments address noise, this study focuses on whether using earplugs can reduce noise-related effects on heart disease risk. The study will include 26 adults with stable atherosclerosis or risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, or high cholesterol, who are exposed to high levels of noise or feel annoyed by it. Participants will be randomly assigned to use noise-cancelling earplugs during sleep and rest for 6 months or to continue usual care without noise mitigation. At the start and end of the 6-month period, brain and blood vessel imaging, along with tests of stress, inflammation, and autonomic function, will be performed to assess changes. Participants will have evaluations including advanced PET/MRI scans of the brain and aorta, assessments of heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood tests, and surveys about stress and lifestyle. The study will monitor earplug use and measure outcomes such as stress-associated neural activity and arterial inflammation. Results will help clarify how noise affects the body and whether personal noise protection can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease over the 6-month study period.

Impact of Earplugs on Mechanisms of Noise-Related Cardiovascular Disease