By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
High ozone levels were associated with an increased number of hospitalizations for appendicitis and were even more strongly associated with cases of burst appendix. For each 16 parts per billion increase in ozone concentration the scientists found an 11 to 22 percent increase in ruptured appendix cases. The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Air pollution slightly increases the risk for appendicitis, according to a new report.
Researchers studied 35,811 patients hospitalized for appendicitis in 12 Canadian cities between 2004 and 2008. They used air pollution data from monitors in each city to calculate daily maximum concentrations of ozone, a normal component of the earth’s upper atmosphere that becomes a danger when concentrated at ground level.
The associations persisted after controlling for age, sex, season of the year and the presence of other air pollutants, like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. The reason for the association is unclear, but studies in mice have shown that air pollution can alter the animals’ abdominal bacteria.
“Air pollution may increase the risk for the most dangerous type of appendicitis,” said the lead author, Dr. Gilaad G. Kaplan, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Calgary. “Perforated appendicitis is potentially fatal, and that air pollution might accelerate it is information we can use in protecting our populations.”
