Environmental noise alters gastric myoelectrical activity: Effect of age

Abstract

AIM:To evaluate the effect of age and acoustic stress on gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) and autonomic nervous system function. METHODS:Twenty-one male subjects (age range 22-71 years, mean 44 years) were recruited and exposed, in random order, to three auditory stimuli (Hospital noise, conversation babble and traffic noise) after a 20-min baseline. All periods lasted 20 min and were interspersed with a 10 min of recovery. GMA was obtained using a Synectics Microdigitrapper. Autonomic nerve function was assessed by monitoring blood pressure and heart rate using an automatic recording device.RESULTS: Dominant power tended to decrease with increase of age (P < 0.05). The overall percentage of three cycle per minute (CPM) activity decreased during exposure to hospital noise (12.0%, P < 0.05), traffic noise (13.9%, P < 0.05), and conversation babble (7.1%). The subjects in the younger group (< 50 years) showed a consistent reduction in the percentage of 3 CPM activity during hospital noise (22.9%, P < 0.05), traffic noise (19.0%, P < 0.05), and conversation babble (15.5%). These observations were accompanied by a significant increase in bradygastria: hospital noise (P < 0.05) and traffic noise (P < 0.05). In contrast, the subjects over 50 years of age did not exhibit a significant decrease in 3 CPM activity. Regardless of age, noise did not alter blood pressure or heart rate.CONCLUSION: GMA changes with age. Loud noise can alter GMA, especially in younger individuals. Our data indicate that even short-term exposure to noise may alter the contractility of the stomach.

Environmental Design for End-of-Life Care: An Integrative Review on Improving the Quality of Life and Managing Symptoms for Patients in Institutional Settings

“…EOL environments contain many potential sources of noise, including machines and equipment, residents’ verbal agitation, and staff conversations (80, 69, 90). In general contexts, excess noise has been linked to adverse physiological and psychological consequences, including elevated blood pressure (86), sleep loss (88), decreased gastric motility in older subjects (87), reduced social interaction (85), and increased aggression and disruptive behavior (83). In 29 in-patient wards in a Korean hospital, 103 patients experienced sleep disturbance (as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) that was significantly correlated to noise level (as measured by noise dosimeters) (88).…”

“…In 29 in-patient wards in a Korean hospital, 103 patients experienced sleep disturbance (as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) that was significantly correlated to noise level (as measured by noise dosimeters) (88). Separately, in a randomized controlled trial, 21 male subjects between the ages of 22 and 71 underwent three auditory interventions, and older subjects displayed lower gastric myoelectric activity compared to younger subjects (87).…”

Melatonin Attenuates Noise Stress-induced Gastrointestinal Motility Disorder and Gastric Stress Ulcer: Role of Gastrointestinal Hormones and Oxidative Stress in Rats

“…2 Noise stress has been linked to a variety of health issues including cardiovascular diseases, 3 mental illness, 4 sleep disorder 5 and hypertension. 6 Furthermore, gastrointestinal motility disorder (GIMD), gastritis and peptic ulcers 7,8 have been noticed in populations who are exposed to high levels of noise. However, little is known about prevention and treatment of noise on GIMD and gastric stress ulcer.…”

Some health effects of aircraft noise with special reference to shift work

“…Epidemiological noise studies when focused on mean blood pressure found that there is sufficient evidence that noise, especially aircraft noise, increases the risk of hypertension in adults (Babisch and Kamp, 2009). Other effects of high noise levels were increased frequency of headaches (Martin et al, 2005), vertigo (Tzaneva et al, 2000), and stomach ulcers (Castle et al, 2007).…”