VI. Medical effects of aircraft noise: General practice survey

Summary

An impression was obtained of the relation between aircraft noise and the contact rate with the general practitioner.

Nineteen general practitioners working in three villages in the vicinity of Schiphol airport, registered during one week from all their patients age, sex, address, reason of contact (diagnosis) and the use of certain drugs. It appeared that in areas with NNI > 33 the total contact rate was higher. The practitioner was more confronted (compared to NNI < 20: roughly 2–3 times as often in the NNI = 45–55 area) with more or less serious psychological problems and with psychosomatic symptoms such as low back pain and spastic colon. Striking was also the high contact rate for cardiovascular diseases in the noisiest area, especially for persons aged 15–64 years.

For the total number of doctor-patient contacts the use of certain drugs was studied. This indicated that in areas with more aircraft noise the use of sedatives and hypnotics, and for female patients also the use of antihypertensive agents, was higher.