Comparing Environmental Risk Factors at Diagnosis in Faroese and Danish Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Kári Rubek Nielsen, Frederikke Agerbo Modin, Jóngerð Midjord, Amanda Vang, Marjun á Fríðriksmørk Berbisá, Herborg Líggjasardóttir Johannesen, Jens Frederik Dahlerup, Vibeke Andersen, Anders Neumann, Jens Kjeldsen, Natalia Pedersen, Ebbe Langholz, Pia Munkholm, Turið Hammer, Johan Burisch

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background The incidence and prevalence of infammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Faroe Islands have increased drastically during the past 60 years, presumably due to changing environmental risk factors in a genetically susceptible population.
Aim This study investigated difering environmental factors present in Faroese and Danish patients.
Methods From 2010 to 2022, all incident Faroese patients with IBD were invited to complete the International Organization
of IBD (IOIBD) questionnaire about environmental factors at the time of their diagnosis. The fndings were compared to a
cohort of incident Danish patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2011.
Results Questionnaires were completed by 293 of 388 Faroese patients (75%), of whom 15% (n=45) had Crohn’s disease
(CD), 63% (n=185) had ulcerative colitis (UC), and 22% (n=63) had IBD unclassifed (IBDU). Faroese patients with IBD
and UC were found to have higher pertussis vaccination coverage (p<0.05), and more childhood infections of measles and
pertussis (p<0.05). Faroese patients with IBD consumed more fast food and less fber but consumed less sugar (p<0.001)
and more cafeine (p<0.001). No diferences were found regarding gender, having been breastfed, use of oral contraceptives, or the number of frst-degree relatives with IBD; however, diferences in smoking at diagnosis were found in a subset
analysis of Faroese patients diagnosed in 2010–11 compared with Danish patients.
Conclusions Faroese patients with IBD were more exposed to some environmental risk factors prior to diagnosis than Danish
patients. However, certain benefcial dietary habits were more common in Faroese patients than in Danish patients
Original languageEnglish
JournalDigestive Diseases and Sciences
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Nov 2024

Keywords

  • Faroe Islands · Infammatory bowel disease · Environmental factors · Ulcerative colitis · Crohn’s disease

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