[Noise as a risk factor for arterial hypertension in sailors].

Analysis of the prevalence of arterial hypertension among seamen using the chi-square test did not show a difference between the engine-room personnel (n = 80) exposed to elevated total ship noise levels (103 +/- 4.6 dB) and the rest of the crew (n = 119) exposed to lower noise levels (63 +/- 4.6 dB), or between the engine-room personnel and the control group (n = 108) exposed to lower levels of occupational noise (64-72 dB). The number of persons with hypertension was higher among the rest of the crew than among the controls. According to Student's t-test there was no difference in systolic or diastolic blood pressure levels between the two groups of seamen. In both these groups blood pressures were higher than in the control group. Among the seamen not working in the engine-rooms and in the subpopulations of both groups of seamen the number of hypertensive persons was greater among those with a noise-induced hearing loss than among those without it. Of the features which could be connected with arterial hypertension and are known to be risk factors of atherosclerosis (age, length of service, body mass index, body fat percentage, plasma cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose, cigarette and alcohol consumption, psychic tension index and recovery time in Lorenz test), only the body mass index could have caused the marked differences in blood pressures between seamen and the controls. The degree of hearing loss correlated with systolic blood pressure in both groups of seamen as well as with diastolic blood pressure in the engine-room personnel. The results of the study do not allow to draw a clear conclusion regarding correlation between ship noise and arterial hypertension, although some indicators point to a certain effect of noise on blood pressure.