{
  "abstract": "Background: The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) shows marked and persistent spatial variation, suggesting a role for environmental determinants. Agricultural environments have been proposed as potential contributors, but their role in shaping IBD spatial patterns remains poorly quantified. We investigated whether municipal-level indicators of agricultural land use, pesticide purchases, and soil trace element enrichment were associated with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) incidence in northern France. Methods: We conducted a population-based ecological study in the EPIMAD registry area, covering about 6 million inhabitants in northern France. Incident CD and UC cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2017 were aggregated at the municipality level and analysed using hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal Poisson models. Environmental indicators were derived from national databases, aggregated at municipal level, and summarised into composite scores. Associations are reported as relative risks (RRs) per 1-SD increase with 95% credible intervals (CrIs). Findings: 9 019 CD and 5 789 UC cases were included. Spatial heterogeneity was substantial and stable over time for both diseases. For CD, a higher Crops Score, reflecting a greater municipal share of input-intensive crops, was associated with higher incidence (RR 1·08, 95% CrI 1·05–1·11) and explained 16·5% of spatial variance. A higher soil Trace Elements Score was also associated with CD incidence (RR 1·13, 95% CrI 1·05–1·22), explaining 11·8% of spatial variance. Municipal purchases of growth regulators (RR 1·05, 95% CrI 1·02–1·09) and herbicides (RR 1·04, 95% CrI 1·01–1·08) were positively associated with CD incidence. Associations with UC were weaker and accounted for little spatial heterogeneity. Interpretation: Long-term environmental pressures related to intensive agricultural systems may contribute to CD geography. However, the ecological design limits individual-level causal inference, underscoring the need for studies integrating individual exposure assessment, biomonitoring, and mechanistic approaches.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Martin Paumelle"
    },
    {
      "name": "Florent Occelli"
    },
    {
      "name": "Annabelle Deram"
    },
    {
      "name": "Caroline Lanier"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lara Maria Wakim"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cécile Vignal"
    },
    {
      "name": "Béatrice Touchelay"
    },
    {
      "name": "Léo Heuguebart"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mohamed-Salem Ahmed"
    },
    {
      "name": "Camille Ternynck"
    },
    {
      "name": "Corinne Gower-Rousseau"
    },
    {
      "name": "Delphine Ley"
    },
    {
      "name": "Guillaume Savoye"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mathurin Fumery"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hélène Sarter"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michaël Genin"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4d0d95rd81s6f.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.2139/ssrn.6769457",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4d0d95rd81s6f",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05775723v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sde"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1311|Inflammatory Bowel Disease"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7161738684",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05775723/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-02",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4d0d95rd81s6f.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:46Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05775723",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05775723v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "hal:0.sde",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Agricultural Intensity, Soil Trace Elements, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Incidence in Northern France: An 18-Year Ecological Study",
  "title_text": "Agricultural Intensity, Soil Trace Elements, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Incidence in Northern France: An 18-Year Ecological Study",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:46Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4d0d95rd81s6f",
  "venue": "HAL",
  "versions": []
}