Digestive Diseases Statistics

All Digestive Diseases

Prevalence: 60 to 70 million people affected by all digestive diseases (1985)

Mortality: 191,000, including deaths from cancer (1985)

Hospitalizations: 10 million (13 percent of all hospitalization) (1985)

Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures: 6 million (14 percent of all procedures) (1987)

Physician office visits: 50 million (1985)

Disability: 1.4 million people (1987)

Costs:

$107 billion (1992)

$87 billion direct medical costs

$20 billion indirect costs (e.g., disability and mortality)

Specific Diseases

Abdominal Wall Hernia

Incidence: 800,000 new cases, including 500,000 inguinal hernias (1985)

Prevalence: 4.5 million people (1988-90)

Hospitalizations: 640,000 (1980)

Physician office visits: 2 to 3 million (1989-90)

Prescriptions: 184,000 (1989-90)

Disability: 550,000 people (1983-87)

Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis

Prevalence: 400,000 people (1976-80)

Mortality: 26,050 deaths (1987)

Hospitalizations: 300,000 (1987)

Physician office visits: 1 million (1985)

Disability: 112,000 people (1983-87)

Constipation

Prevalence: 4.4 million people (1983-87)

Mortality: 29 deaths (1982-85)

Hospitalizations: 100,000 (1983-87)

Physician office visits: 2 million (1985)

Prescriptions: 1 million (1985)

Disability: 13,000 people (1983-87)

Diverticular Disease

Incidence: 300,000 new cases (1987)

Prevalence: 2 million people (1983-87)

Mortality: 3,000 deaths (1985)

Hospitalizations: 440,000 (1987)

Physician office visits: 2 million (1987)

Disability: 112,000 people (1983-87)

Gallstones

Prevalence: 16 to 22 million people (1976-87)

Mortality: 2,975 (1985)

Hospitalizations: 800,000 (1987)

Physician office visits: 600,000 to 700,000 (1985)

Prescriptions: 195,000 (1985)

Surgical procedures: 500,000 cholecystectomies (1987)

Disability: 48,000 people (1983-87)

Gastritis and Nonulcer Dyspepsia (NUD)

Incidence:

Gastritis: 313,000 new cases (1975)

Chronic NUD: 444,000 new cases (1975)

Acute NUD: 8.2 million new cases (1988)

Prevalence:

Gastritis: 2.7 million people (1988)

NUD: 5.8 million people (1988)

Mortality:

Gastritis: 703 (1980s)

NUD: 49 (1980s)

Hospitalizations:

Gastritis: 600 (1980s)

NUD: 65,000 (1980s)

Physician office visits:

Gastritis: 3 million (1980s)

NUD: 800,000 (1980s)

Prescriptions:

Gastritis: 2 million (1985)

NUD: 649,000 (1985)

Disability:

Gastritis: 34,000 people (1983-87)

Chronic NUD: 42,000 people (1983-87)

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Related Esophageal Disorders

Prevalence: 3 to 7 percent of U.S. population (1985)

Mortality: 1,000 deaths (1984-88)

Hospitalizations: 1 million (1985)

Physician office visits: 4 to 5 million (1985)

(1983-87)

Incidence: 1 million new cases

Prevalence: 10.4 million people

Mortality: 17 deaths

Hospitalizations: 316,000

Physician office visits: 3.5 million

Prescriptions: 1.5 million

Disability: 52,000 people

Infectious Diarrhea

Incidence: 99 million new cases (1980)

Mortality: 3,100 deaths (1985)

Hospitalizations: 462,000 to 728,000 (1987)

Physician office visits: 8 to 12 million (1985)

Prescriptions: 5 to 8 million (1985)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (1987)

Incidence: 2 to 6 new cases per 100,000 people

Prevalence: 300,000 to 500,000 people

Mortality: Fewer than 1,000 deaths

Hospitalizations: 100,000 (64 percent for Crohn's disease)

Physician office visits: 700,000

Disability: 119,000 people (1983-87)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Prevalence: 5 million people (1987)

Hospitalizations: 34,000 (1987)

Physician office visits: 3.5 million (1987)

Prescriptions: 2.2 million (1985)

Disability: 400,000 people (1983-87)

Lactose Intolerance

Prevalence: 30 to 50 million people (1994)

Pancreatitis

Incidence: Acute: 17 new cases per 100,000 people (1976-88)

Mortality: 2,700 deaths (1985)

Hospitalizations:

Acute: 125,000 (1987)

Chronic: 20,000 (1987)

Physician office visits:

Acute: 911,000 (1987)

Chronic: 122,000 (1987)

Peptic Ulcer

Prevalence: 5 million people (1987)

Mortality: 6,500 deaths (1987)

Hospitalizations: 630,000 (1987)

Physician office visits: 3 to 5 million (1985)

Prescriptions: 2 million (1985)

Disability: 401,000 people (1983-87)

Viral Hepatitis

Incidence:

Hepatitis A: 32,000 new cases (1992)

Hepatitis B: 200,000 to 300,000 new cases (1990)

Hepatitis C: 150,000 new cases (1991)

Hepatitis D: 70,000 new cases (1990)

Prevalence:

Hepatitis A: 32 to 38 percent of U.S. population that have any history of disease (1991)

Hepatitis B: 4 percent of U.S. population that have any history of disease (1990)

Hepatitis C and D: Not determined

Mortality: Fewer than 1,000 deaths (1985)

Hospitalizations: 33,000 (1987)

Physician office visits: 500,000 (1985)

Additional Data

Liver Transplants
3,300 transplants performed (1993)

Number of gastroenterologists in the United States
7,493 (1990)

Sources

Unless noted, the data in this fact sheet are from:
Everhart, JE, editor. Digestive Diseases in the United States: Epidemiology and Impact. US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1994; NIH publication no. 94-1447.

The book answers hundreds of questions about the scope and impact of the major infectious, chronic, and malignant digestive diseases. National and special population based data provide information about the prevalence, incidence, medical care, disability, mortality, and research needs regarding specific digestive diseases. The data were compiled primarily from the surveys of the National Center for Health Statistics, supplemented by other Federal agencies and private sources.

The book is available for $15 from the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse at the address and phone number listed below. Please make checks payable to "NDDIC."

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health

United Network for Organ Sharing Scientific Registry

American Medical Association Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the United States, 1992 Ed., Chicago, Illinois: American Medical Association, 1992, p. 20.

Glossary

Data for digestive diseases as a group and for specific diseases are provided in various categories. Data do not exist in all categories for some diseases. Following are definitions of the categories as used in this fact sheet:

Disability: The number of people in a year whose ability to perform major daily activities such as working, housekeeping, and going to school, is limited and reduced over long periods because of a disease.

Hospitalizations: The number of hospitalizations for a disease in a year.

Incidence: The number of new cases of a disease in the U.S. population in a year.

Mortality: The number of deaths resulting from the disease listed as the underlying or primary cause in a year.

Physician office visits: The number of outpatient visits to office-based physicians for a disease in a year.

Prescriptions: The number of prescriptions written annually for medications to treat a specific disease.

Prevalence: The number of people in the United States affected by a disease or diseases in a year.

Procedures: The number of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed annually in a hospital setting.

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse

2 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3570
The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, under the U.S. Public Health Service. The clearinghouse, authorized by Congress in 1980, provides information about digestive diseases and health to people with digestive diseases and their families, heatlth care professionals, and the public. The NDDIC answers inquiries; develops, reviews, and distributes publications; and works closely with professional and patient organizations and government agencies to coordinate resources about digestive diseases.

Publications produced by the clearinghouse are reviewed carefully for scientific accuracy, content, and readability. Publications produced by other sources are also reviewed for scientific accuracy and are used, along with clearinghouse publications, to answer requests.

This etext is not copyrighted. The clearinghouse urges users of this epub to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.

NIH Publication No. 95-3873
February 1995