Grant: Operating Grant

Surgery for appendicitis is the most common operation performed in young people in Canada. The cause of appendicitis is not known. However, it most commonly occurs in industrial countries such as Canada that produce high levels of air pollution. Scientists have shown that air pollution can cause many problems such as worsening asthma, promoting heart attacks, and increasing the risk of cancer. Air pollution may cause sickness by promoting inflammation. The inflammation driven by air pollution is similar to the inflammation seen in patients who suffer from appendicitis. Thus, it is possible that air pollution may cause inflammation that would result in appendicitis. A recent study demonstrated that air pollution may increase the risk of appendicitis; however, this study needs to be confirmed. Because of this possibility we plan to study whether air pollution increases the risk of being diagnosed with appendicitis. We plan to look at many people living in Canada who are diagnosed with appendicitis and see if they are more likely to have appendicitis on days when air pollution is highest. Our hypothesis is that individuals who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution will be more likely to be diagnosed with appendicitis. Linking air pollution to the development of appendicitis is important. If air pollution increases the risk of developing appendicitis, then lowering air pollution may prevent some cases of appendicitis. Discovering such a relationship would potentially give us the tools to prevent appendicitis - a far more effective strategy then subjecting people to operations once it has occurred.