Crohn’s and colitis in Alberta among highest in country

Our province has one of the highest rate of inflammatory bowel diseases in the world, and a group of Alberta researchers and doctors is teaming up to determine why this is.

With $5 million from Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, the team will explore how interactions between bacteria in the digestive system, air pollution and a diet of high fats and sugars triggers diseases such as Crohn’s and Colitis.

Team leader Herman Barkema said, "Our goal is to improve the health and quality of life for 15,000 Albertans with inflammatory bowel disease." Barkema is a medical professor from the University of Calgary. His team is looking for people with Crohn’s or Colitis to take part in their project. The volunteers will be asked to provide tissue and blood samples to help determine how much genetics play into the disease, as opposed to a high fat and sugar diet, or exposure to air pollution for those living near refineries.

Bacteria in the digestive systems of cattle and dogs will also be studied in hopes of finding new treatments quickly.

In Canada, more than 200,000 people live with an inflammatory bowel disease. For every 100,000 Albertans, 16.5 have Crohn’s according to a study done by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada. That’s among the highest rates in the country, compared to 20.2 for every 100,000 in Nova Scotia and Quebec, and 9.9 out of 100,000 in B.C.

With files from The Edmonton Journal