The Urban Exposome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Determining Environmental Factors that Increase the Risk of IBD and the Cost of Care
OVERVIEW
Living in a city increases the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Air pollution, reduced green space, or other environmental factors may contribute to this risk. We will identify geographic areas where IBD is more common, IBD surgery rates are higher, and the need for medical care for IBD is greater. We will then examine the impact of urban environmental exposures on these outcomes, such as air pollution, green space and bright lights at night. Using large health system databases, we will link each person with IBD to environmental data provided by the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) and Health Canada. We will study how combinations of environmental factors impact the risk of IBD, the need for surgery, and the need for health care. Overall, our goal is to determine the components of living in an urban area that may explain why city-dwellers have a higher risk of IBD and to inform environmental and health policy to help decrease the risk of IBD.
