Proximity to Swine Farming Operations as a Risk Factor for Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Gastroenterology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus.
• Environmental factors are increasingly implicated in EoE development.
• The potential impact of agricultural proximity, specifically to swine operations, remains under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between residential proximity to permitted swine facilities and the risk of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

Main Methods:

• A case-control study design was employed.
• Two distinct datasets were utilized: one from a tertiary care center and another from a large pathology group.
• Geocoding of subject and swine facility addresses allowed for proximity and density calculations.

Main Results:

• A positive association was observed between proximity (<1 mile) to swine facilities and EoE in the tertiary care data (aOR=2.56).
• Higher density of swine farms (>10 farms/census tract) was also associated with increased EoE odds in this dataset (aOR=2.76).
• Crucially, these associations were not replicated in the pathology group's database, indicating data-dependent findings.

Conclusions:

• While proximity and density of swine operations showed a potential association with EoE in one dataset, the results were not consistent across different data sources.
• Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the variability observed between datasets.