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.
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
Age 18 years or older
Lack of informed consent from legal guardian
Lack of written assent from the participant if age ≥13 years
Pediatric patients undergoing endoscopy at a tertiary care academic hospital. The study includes children with confirmed inflammatory bowel disease and children undergoing endoscopy for other indications as controls.
Case-control
Cross-sectional
Environmental microplastic exposure
Other interventionExposure 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.
Presence and concentration of microplastics in intestinal tissue samples
Quantification of microplastics (number of particles per gram of tissue) detected using Raman spectroscopy in intestinal mucosal biopsies collected during clinically indicated endoscopy.
Comparison of microplastic burden between children with IBD and controls
Assessment of differences in all biological matrices (tissue, stool, blood, urine) between children with inflammatory bowel disease and controls
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