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A new study has warned that the risk of adults developing appendicitis due to air pollution. The study, done by researchers from Universities of Calgary, Toronto and Health Canada, was conducted on 5,191 adults who were hospitalised in Calgary due to appendicitis.
They found that 52% of the cases were reported during the warmest months in Canada, from April to September, when people stay outside for most of the time.
Doctors generally believe that appendicitis is caused due to the presence of any obstruction at the appendix opening, but this theory fails in developed and developing countries.
Appendicitis cases increased dramatically in industrialised countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries, then decreased in the middle and late 20th century, coinciding with legislation to improve air quality. The study also noticed that number of cases in developing nations have increased with increase in industrialization.
The researchers measured amount of the air bone pollutions like ozone and nitrogen dioxide with the help of air pollution data for Calgary from Environment Canada. The temperature was also determined.
They were able to notice that the higher the ozone and nitrogen levels, the more the number of people suffering from appendicitis. Men were more prone to this than women.
"For unexplained reasons, men are more likely than women to have appendicitis," write Gilaad Kaplan of the University of Calgary and co-authors.
"Men may be more susceptible to the effects of outdoor air pollution because they are more likely to be employed in outdoor occupations," write the co-authors, although they note that misclassifications of data could explain some of the difference, says a Calgary release.
These findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
