Biological Factors in the Etiology of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

• Author / Creator

  Schouten, Janine R.

• Background:
  Sarcoidosis etiology is unknown. It is thought to be an aberrant immune response to unidentified environmental agents with ‘rural living’ emerging as a risk factor.
  Objective:
  To determine if specific environmental factors were associated with the risk of sarcoidosis.
  Methods:
  A case-referent study: Administrative data was used to identify adult cases first diagnosed in Alberta between 1999 and 2005, and age/sex matched referents with other respiratory conditions. Exposures were determined using an interviewer-administered telephone questionnaire. Duration was calculated.
  Results:
  684 cases and 1454 referents participated. Cases were less likely to have ever smoked. No environmental factors had a confidence interval excluding 1 for exposure periods: birth, birth–5 years, and birth–diagnosis. Associations with un-piped water were identified when cases were compared with asthma and non-asthma referents, with cases more likely than asthma referents to drink un-piped water.
  Conclusions:
  No strong association between environmental factors and sarcoidosis was observed.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Diseases--Causes and theories of causation
  • Sarcoidosis--Etiology
  • Environmentally induced diseases--Research--Case studies
  • Sarcoidosis--Case studies

• Graduation date

  Fall 2011

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3KW84

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.