Inflammatory bowel disease and environmental influences.
Some environmental factors have been established firmly as influences on the development of IBD, such as smoking and appendectomy. Other behaviors, such as oral contraceptive use and sugar intake, have been suggested as risk factors, but he data conflict sharply. The importance of other behaviors, such as breast-feeding, is even murkier with sharply divergent data. Some issues studied may not be factors in themselves but rather markers for other unidentified influences. The conflicting evidence in many of these studies may be clarified as specific genes are identified and the interplay between these environmental factors and genetic subtypes is investigated.
Krishnan
Aruna
A
Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 4950 Children's Place, Box 8121, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Korzenik
Joshua R
JR
D001062:Appendectomy; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral