Short-term effects of ambient temperature on acute exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease: A nationwide case-crossover study with external validation

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic inflammatory disorder characterized by chronic and relapsing manifestations. Several environmental factors are known as triggers for exacerbation of IBD. However, an association between exacerbation of IBD and ambient temperature is uncertain. This study aimed to estimate the risk of acute exacerbation of IBD due to ambient temperature. We performed a bidirectional case-crossover study using a nationwide claim data from South Korea. The external validation was conducted with a large prospective cohort in the United Kingdom. We confirmed significant associations between acute exacerbation of IBD and the short-term ambient temperature changes toward severe temperatures, in the cold weather (-19.4°C–4.3°C) (odd ratio [OR] = 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–1.14) and in the hot weather (21.3°C–33.5°C) (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.15–1.17). However, the association was not significant in the moderate weather (4.3°C–21.3°C). The external validation suggested consistent results with additional elevation of acute exacerbation risk in the colder weather (-13.4°C to 2.6°C) (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.62–2.22) and in the hotter weather (15.7°C–28.4°C) (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.32–1.51). We observed and validated that the short-term ambient temperature changes were associated with acute exacerbation of IBD in the cold and hot weathers. Our findings provide evidence that temperature changes are associated with the acute exacerbation of IBD.