Crohn Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Ulcerative Colitis (UC)
Conditions
Keywords
Microplastics, Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Raman Spectroscopy, Environmental exposure, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease
Brief summary
The goal of this observational study is to measure and compare the presence of microplastics in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and children without IBD. The main questions it aims to answer are: Are microplastics detectable in different biological samples from children? Are there differences in microplastic burden between children with and without IBD? Researchers will collect biological samples including: intestinal tissue (from routine endoscopy), stool, urine, blood. Raman spectroscopy will be used to detect and characterize microplastics in each sample type. Participants will not receive any medication or intervention as part of this study. All samples will be collected during standard clinical procedures.
Interventions
OTHEREnvironmental microplastic exposure
Exposure to environmental microplastics measured by their presence in intestinal tissue, blood, urine, and stool using Raman spectroscopy. This study does not assign any exposure or treatment; it investigates the existing presence of microplastics as an environmental factor of interest.
Sponsors
Medical University of Gdansk
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Age \<18 years * Undergoing clinically indicated gastrointestinal endoscopy * For IBD group: confirmed diagnosis of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis * For control group: no current or past diagnosis of IBD
Exclusion criteria
* Age 18 years or older * Lack of informed consent from legal guardian * Lack of written assent from the participant if age ≥13 years
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Presence and concentration of microplastics in intestinal tissue samples | Day of endoscopy (Baseline) | Quantification of microplastics (number of particles per gram of tissue) detected using Raman spectroscopy in intestinal mucosal biopsies collected during clinically indicated endoscopy. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Comparison of microplastic burden between children with IBD and controls | Baseline (Day of sample collection) | Assessment of differences in all biological matrices (tissue, stool, blood, urine) between children with inflammatory bowel disease and controls |
Countries
Poland
Contacts
Primary ContactDominika Marszk, MD
Outcome results
None listed