Introduction: Environmental surroundings reduce the rate of several diseases, especially those related to stressful events. Ischemic stroke can be affected by such events, either directly or through its risk factors. Therefore, the present study evaluates the effect of green space and noise exposure on the risk of ischemic stroke.
Methods: A case-control study was carried out, including 200 ischemic stroke cases within the first 48 hours of diagnosis and 200 controls, divided equally into hospitalized and non-hospitalized participants. Controls were matched to cases based on age and gender. Sociodemographic characteristics were assessed, in addition to the environmental surrounding and noises exposure at home and work-places.
Results: Living in a house, having a house garden and taking care of the garden were associated with a lower rate of having ischemic stroke (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.009, respectively). However, having buildings as a view from home led to a higher stroke rate (p < 0.001). Working in an urban area, workplace being surrounded by buildings, and workplace not being surrounded by greenspace were also associated with a higher rate of having ischemic stroke (p = 0.002, p = 0.001, and p = 0.03, respectively). As for noise exposure, being exposed to traffic noise, human noise and other types of noise were significantly associated with higher ischemic stroke, while being exposed to higher levels of natural noise was significantly associated with lower ischemic stroke. Higher levels of loudness were also associated with higher ischemic stroke in homeplaces and workplaces (p < 0.001 and p = 0.008, respectively).
Conclusion : Environmental surroundings and noise exposure were found to affect the risk of ischemic stroke. Higher green space and lower noise exposures play a protective role in ischemic stroke, suggesting a possible prevention strategy through environmental modifications at home and workplaces.
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