Noisy Jobs and Your Heart

(RxWiki News) High blood pressure and high cholesterol may be more common in those who have noisy jobs, a new study found.

This new study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found a possible link between the risk for high blood pressure and high cholesterol and your occupation. Loud noise affects about 22 million US workers each year, making it one of the most common workplace hazards, the CDC noted.

Both high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol are key risk factors for heart disease. And heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women.

“Reducing workplace noise levels is critical not just for hearing loss prevention — it may also impact blood pressure and cholesterol,” said Dr. John Howard, director of the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in a press release. “Worksite health and wellness programs that include screenings for high blood pressure and cholesterol should also target noise-exposed workers.”

NIOSH researchers also found that, in 2014, 12 percent of workers had hearing trouble, 24 percent had high blood pressure and 28 percent had high cholesterol. And occupational noise exposure likely contributed to 58 percent, 14 percent and 9 percent of these cases, respectively.

Industries with the highest rates of work-related noise exposure included mining, construction and manufacturing, the CDC found.

Regardless of where you work, it is important to get your heart checked. Also, speak with your health care provider about ways to maintain your health at work.

This study was published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. The study authors disclosed no outside funding sources or potential conflicts of interest.