Emigration to western industrialized countries: A risk factor for developing inflammatory bowel disease

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Epidemiology
• Environmental Health
• Disease Etiology

Background:

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) incidence is higher in industrialized regions.
• The impact of temporary emigration to industrialized countries and subsequent return on IBD risk is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between emigration to another country and returning to the country of origin with the risk of developing IBD.
• To determine if emigration influences the risk of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) separately.

Main Methods:

• A prospective case-control study included 242 IBD patients (105 CD, 137 UC) and 242 matched controls over 10 years.
• Emigration was defined as residing in another country for at least one year.
• Participants were interviewed regarding their emigration history.

Main Results:

• Individuals with a history of emigration showed a significantly higher risk of developing IBD (OR 1.93).
• Emigration to European countries was associated with increased IBD risk (OR 1.91), unlike emigration to Latin America (OR 1.48).
• Emigration significantly increased the risk for ulcerative colitis (UC) (OR 2.24) but not for Crohn's disease (CD) (OR 1.56).

Conclusions:

• Emigration to westernized countries is linked to a higher risk of IBD, with a notable association for UC.
• Environmental factors associated with industrialization are implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD.