Introduction:

Noise is one of the most important environmental pollutants and its impact on health is being increasingly recognized. Beyond its effects on the auditory system, noise affects other organs and systems.

Aim:

In this review, we intend to comprehend the impact of noise at an extra-auditory level and to identify adequate noise prevention measures.

Material and methods:

It is a Scoping Review, carried out in PUBMED and MEDLINE databases, between January and March 2021. The keywords used were: ‘noise’, ‘sleep disturbance’, ‘cardiovascular diseases’, ‘metabolic diseases’, ‘cancer’ and ‘hospital noise’.

Results:

Noise is associated with sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease and neoplasia; affecting also staff performance in hospitals.

Conclusion:

The extra-auditory effects of noise are varied and assume a public health problem, requiring control and prevention measures in order to limit the growing trend of negative health and economic consequences.

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