Lay Summary

Proposal No. IBD-0216R
Principal Investigator:  Gilaad G. Kaplan, M.D., M.P.H.
Applicant Organization:  University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada)
Project Title:  The effect of air pollution on the development of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in England and Wales
Period of Award:  September 1, 2007 – December 31, 2009

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis most commonly occur in industrial countries having air pollution such as the United States and England. Scientists have shown that air pollution can cause many health problems. One reason that air pollution can cause sickness is that air pollution can promote inflammation. The inflammation driven by air pollution is similar to the inflammation seen in patients who suffer from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Thus, it is possible that air pollution may cause inflammation that would result in Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Because of this possibility, we plan to study whether air pollution increases the risk of being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and/or ulcerative colitis.

We plan to look at people living in England and follow them for one year to see who develops Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. We will then examine how much air pollution occurs near their homes. We will also study individuals who are not diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative and see how much air pollution occurs near their homes. Our hypothesis is that individuals who live in areas of higher air pollution will be more likely to be diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis than individuals who live in regions of lower air pollution.

Linking air pollution to the development of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is important. If air pollution increases the risk of developing Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, then lowering exposure to air pollution might prevent these diseases in some patients. We want to explore if this is true because preventing a disease from developing is a more effective strategy then trying to treat the disease after it occurs.