ABSTRACT
In a study of workers at the Volvo factory in Sweden, Jonsson and Hansson (1977) found a reliable positive correlation between hearing loss and blood pressure. They had reasoned that individuals with a history of chronic exposure to noise would have suffered hearing loss in proportion to the amount of exposure; thus, by studying the relationship between auditory threshold and blood pressure, it was possible to infer the effect of chronic noise exposure on hypertension. In their conclusions they suggested a tentative hypothesis about the mechanism of noise induced chronic hypertension. They said, “…. the most reasonable explanation to the presented findings is that prolonged exposure to a stressful stimulus may have caused repeated rises in blood pressure leading to circulatory adaptations and a permanent rise in blood pressure.” (p. 87).
