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Parental occupations and risk for Crohn's disease in children
Jobin Eslahpazir1, Rituanjali Kumar1, Ali Lalavi1
1a Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology , CHU-Sainte-Justine at University of Montreal , Montreal , Canada.
Insights
Parental occupations may increase children's risk for Crohn's disease (CD). Specifically, fathers in retail sales and mothers in administrative roles showed higher associations with CD susceptibility in their children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Crohn's disease (CD) etiology remains incompletely understood, with limited identification of specific environmental risk factors.
- Parental occupational exposures represent a potential, yet understudied, indirect environmental pathway influencing childhood disease susceptibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between parental occupations and the risk of developing Crohn's disease (CD) in children.
- To identify specific parental job categories that may confer susceptibility to CD in offspring.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted in Montreal, Canada, involving children diagnosed with CD before age 20.
- Parental occupations were assessed via interviews and coded using the Canadian National Occupational Classification.
- Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine associations, controlling for potential confounders.
Main Results:
- The study included 466 pediatric CD cases and 335 controls.
- Children with fathers in retail sales/clerk positions (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.2-11.1) and mothers in administrative secretary roles (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.4) demonstrated a statistically significant increased risk for CD.
- Maternal occupations as early childhood educators or clerks showed non-significant trends towards increased risk.
Conclusions:
- Parental occupations involving significant "social mixing" may increase children's exposure to infectious agents.
- These exposures, linked to specific parental job types, appear to be associated with a higher risk of pediatric Crohn's disease (CD).
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms linking parental occupations to CD development.
Background And Objectives:
Lacunae exist on the identity of specific environmental risk factors that associate with Crohn's disease (CD). We hypothesized that indirect exposures acquired via the parents' occupation may confer susceptibility.
Methods:
A case-control study based on children diagnosed with CD (prior to age 20) at a tertiary care gastroenterology clinic in Montreal, Canada was carried out. Population- and hospital-based controls without IBD were selected. Information on occupations held by the parents was acquired from interview. Jobs were coded using the Canadian National Occupational Classification for Statistics. Associations were examined using logistic regression accounting for potential confounders. Odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated.
Results:
A total of 466 cases and 335 controls were studied. The mean (±SD) age of the cases (12.4 ± 3.2) was slightly higher than controls (10.5 ± 4.9). Gender and ethnicity were equally distributed between the groups. Logistic regression analysis suggested that children whose fathers worked as retail salespersons/sales clerks [odds ratio (OR) 3.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-11.1], and whose mothers worked as administrative secretaries (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.4), were more likely to be at risk for CD. Mothers who worked as either early childhood educators (OR 2.3, 95% CI 0.85-6.2) or as clerks (OR 2.8, 95% CI 0.8-9.9) also appeared to confer risks, but these associations were statistically not significant.
Conclusion:
Parental occupations related to 'social mixing' that can potentially enhance exposure to infectious agents, appear to confer higher risk for CD in children.
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