Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are incurable diseases that affect a patient's gut. The causes of these diseases are 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 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 many people living in Alberta and follow them for several years to see who develops Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. We will then look to see 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 where they reside. 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 air pollution may prevent these diseases in some patients. Discovering such a relationship would potentially give us the tools to prevent these debilitating conditions - a far more effective strategy then treating an incurable disease once it has occurred.