Rodríguez-Lago Iago, Cabriada José Luis, Rodríguez Ainhoa, Barreiro-de Acosta Manuel
Gastroenterology Department, Hospital Universitario de Galdakao, Galdakao, Spain.
Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Galdakao, Spain.
Crohns Colitis 360. 2024 Mar 14;6(1):otae018. doi: 10.1093/crocol/otae018. eCollection 2024 Jan.
The immune dysregulation underlying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can start years before the diagnosis, but the role of triggering factors and environmental exposures during this period is still uncertain.
This single-center case-control study included asymptomatic subjects with an incidental diagnosis of IBD during the colorectal cancer screening program. Twenty-two minerals and 17 metals were determined at diagnosis in hair samples and compared 1:2 to healthy controls.
Six patients with preclinical IBD (3 ulcerative colitis, 67% left-sided; 3 Crohn's disease, 100% ileal, 67% inflammatory behavior) and 13 healthy non-IBD controls were included. No relevant occupational exposures were identified. We found statistically significant higher levels of sodium, potassium, and boron among cases compared to controls; while lower levels of zinc, uranium, copper, and germanium were observed.
A range of environmental exposures can be identified during the preclinical phase of IBD, but their relationship with the symptomatic onset and disease progression should be further explored.
炎症性肠病（IBD）潜在的免疫失调可能在诊断前数年就已开始，但在此期间触发因素和环境暴露的作用仍不确定。
这项单中心病例对照研究纳入了在结直肠癌筛查项目中偶然诊断为IBD的无症状受试者。在诊断时测定头发样本中的22种矿物质和17种金属，并与健康对照按1:2进行比较。
纳入了6例临床前期IBD患者（3例溃疡性结肠炎，67%为左侧；3例克罗恩病，100%为回肠，67%为炎症性表现）和13例健康非IBD对照。未发现相关职业暴露。我们发现，与对照组相比，病例组中钠、钾和硼的水平在统计学上显著更高；而锌、铀、铜和锗的水平较低。
在IBD的临床前期阶段可以识别出一系列环境暴露，但它们与症状发作和疾病进展的关系应进一步探索。
