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Appendicitis may be triggered by pollution
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Correspondent05.10.09
High pollution levels can cause appendicitis, a new study claims.
Scientists in Canada who analysed patients in Calgary found that those with appendix problems were far more likely to have been admitted during times of high pollution, they found.
Appendicitis causes the appendix to swell up and fill with pus and can be caused by infection or obstruction, but in many cases there is no obvious cause. It is relatively common and affects seven per cent of people in Britain.
The study, at the University of Calgary, University of Toronto and the government health department Health Canada, analysed 5,191 adults admitted to hospital in Calgary. It found 52 per cent of admissions were between April and September, the warmest months of the year in Canada and when people are more likely to be outside.
The researchers determined the levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and other air-borne pollutants, and temperature. They found correlations between high levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide and the incidence of appendicitis between age groups and genders.
"Pollutants may trigger inflammatory responses," said gastroenterologist Dr Gilaad Kaplan of the University of Calgary, who led the study.
He added: "For unexplained reasons, men are more likely than women to have appendicitis. Men may be more susceptible to the effects of outdoor air pollution because they are more likely to be in outdoor occupations."
