Glucocorticoid metabolites in newborns: A marker for traffic noise related stress?

Cantuaria, Manuella Lech; Usemann, Jakob; Proietti, Elena; Blanes-Vidal, Victoria; Dick, Bernhard; Flück Pandey, Christa Emma; Rüedi, Simone; Héritier, Harris; Wunderli, Jean-Marc; Latzin, Philipp; Frey, Urs; Röösli, Martin; Vienneau, Danielle (2018). Glucocorticoid metabolites in newborns: A marker for traffic noise related stress? Environment International, 117, pp. 319-326. Elsevier 10.1016/j.envint.2018.05.002

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BACKGROUND

Traffic noise has been associated with an increased risk for several non-auditory health effects, which may be explained by a noise-induced release of stress hormones (e.g. glucocorticoids). Although several studies in children and adults have indicated an increased secretion of glucocorticoids after exposure to noise, information regarding newborns is scarce.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between residential exposure to road traffic noise and postnatal stress response, as assessed by the concentration of glucocorticoids at five weeks of age.

METHODS

Residential noise exposure was estimated for each infant based on spatially detailed modeled data. Adjusted multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the association between noise exposure and the concentration of nine glucocorticoid metabolites measured in urine of 165 infants from a prospective birth cohort in Bern, Switzerland. Noise exposure (Lden, dB) was categorized into tertiles: low (reference), medium and high.

RESULTS

Indications of a positive association were found between high road traffic noise and cortisol (% change relative to the reference: 12.1% [95% confidence interval: -10.3, 40.1%]) and cortisone (22.6% [-1.8, 53.0%]), but just the latter was borderline significant. Borderline significant associations were also found between downstream metabolites and higher road traffic noise levels; associations were found to be both positive (i.e. for β-cortolone (51.5% [-0.9, 131.5%])) and negative (i.e. for α-cortolone (-18.3% [-33.6, 0.6%]) and tetrahydrocortisol (-23.7% [-42.8, 1.9%])).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest a potential association between exposure to higher road traffic noise levels and changes in glucocorticoid metabolism in early postnatal life. A possible physiological relevance and associations with short- and long-term adverse health effects in a larger study population need to be further investigated.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Endocrinology (DFKE) > Clinic of Paediatric Medicine
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Dermatology, Urology, Rheumatology, Nephrology, Osteoporosis (DURN) > Clinic of Nephrology and Hypertension
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > Unit Childrens Hospital > Forschungsgruppe Pneumologie (Pädiatrie)
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > Unit Childrens Hospital
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Endocrinology (DFKE) > Clinic of Paediatric Medicine > Paediatric Pneumology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > Unit Childrens Hospital > Forschungsgruppe Endokrinologie / Diabetologie / Metabolik (Pädiatrie)
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > Unit Childrens Hospital > Forschungsgruppe Nephrologie / Hypertonie

UniBE Contributor:

Usemann, Jakob, Proietti, Elena, Dick, Bernhard, Flück Pandey, Christa Emma, Latzin, Philipp

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0160-4120

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Anette van Dorland

Date Deposited:

31 Jan 2019 12:23

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:18

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.envint.2018.05.002

PubMed ID:

29778832

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Cortisol Environmental stressors Glucocorticoids Noise Postnatal stress Road traffic

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.120758

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/120758

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