About all

Digestive disorders list: Digestive Disorders | Johns Hopkins Medicine

by alexxlab

Digestive Diseases Statistics for the United States

On this page:

  • Glossary
  • All Digestive Diseases
  • Specific Diseases

Glossary

Data for digestive diseases as a group and for specific diseases are provided in various categories.

For some diseases, data do not exist in all categories.
Following are definitions used for the categories in this fact sheet:

Ambulatory care visits: The number of specific disease-related visits made annually to office-based health care providers, hospital outpatient clinics, and emergency departments.

Hospitalizations: The number of hospitalizations annually for a specific disease.
Incidence: The number of new cases annually of a specific disease.

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

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

Prevalence: The number of people affected by a specific disease or diseases.

Procedures: The number of specific disease-related diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical procedures performed annually in a hospital or an outpatient setting.

All Digestive Diseases

Prevalence: 60 to 70 million people affected by all digestive diseases1
Ambulatory care visits: 48.3 million (2010)2–4

Primary diagnosis at office visits: 36.6 million (2010)2–4

Primary diagnosis at emergency department visits: 7.9 million (2010)2–4
Primary diagnosis at outpatient department visits: 3.8 million (2010)2–4

Hospitalizations: 21.7 million (2010)5
Mortality: 245,921 deaths (2009)6
Diagnostic and therapeutic inpatient procedures: 5. 4 million—12 percent of all inpatient procedures (2007)7
Ambulatory surgical procedures: 20.4 million—20 percent of all “write-in” surgical procedures (2010)2
Costs:
$141.8 billion (2004)8
$97.8 billion, direct medical costs (2004)8
$44 billion, indirect costs—for example, disability and mortality (2004)8

Specific Diseases

Abdominal Wall Hernia

Ambulatory care visits: 3.6 million (2009)6
Surgical procedures: 526,000 (2006)9 (inguinal hernia only)

Hospitalizations: 380,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 1,322 deaths (2010)10
Prescriptions: 3.7 million (2004)8

Chronic Constipation

Prevalence: 63 million people (2000)11
Ambulatory care visits: 4.0 million (2009)6
Hospitalizations: 1. 1 million (2010)5
Mortality: 132 deaths (2010)10

Prescriptions: 5.3 million (2004)8

Diverticular Disease

Prevalence: 2.2 million people (1998)12
Ambulatory care visits: 2.7 million (2009)6

Hospitalizations: 814,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 2,889 deaths (2010)10
Prescriptions: 2.8 million (2004)8

Gallstones

Prevalence: 20 million people (2004)13

Ambulatory care visits: 2.2 million (2006–2007)14 (includes all disorders of the gallbladder and biliary tract)

Surgical procedures: 503,000 (2006)9 (laparoscopic cholecystectomies only)

Hospitalizations: 675,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 994 deaths (2010)10

Prescriptions: 1. 65 million (2004)8

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Prevalence: Reflux symptoms at least weekly: 20 percent of the population (2004)15

Ambulatory care visits: 8.9 million (2009)6
Hospitalizations: 4.7 million (2010)5
Mortality: 1,653 deaths (2010)10
Prescriptions: 64.6 million (2004)8

Gastrointestinal Infections

Prevalence: Nonfoodborne gastroenteritis: 135 million people (1998)12; foodborne illness: 76 million people (1998)12
Ambulatory care visits: 2.3 million (2004)8
Hospitalizations: 487,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 11,022 deaths (2011)16

Prescriptions: 938,000 (2004)8

Hemorrhoids

Prevalence: 75 percent of people older than 45 (2006)17

Ambulatory care visits: 1. 1 million (2009)6
Hospitalizations: 266,000 (2010)5

Mortality: 20 deaths (2010)10
Prescriptions: 2 million (2004)8

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Ambulatory care visits: 1.9 million (2009)6

Crohn’s Disease

Prevalence: 359,000 people (1998)12
Ambulatory care visits: 1.1 million (2004)8
Hospitalizations: 187,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 611 deaths (2010)10

Prescriptions: 1.8 million (2004)8

Ulcerative Colitis

Prevalence: 619,000 people (1998)12
Ambulatory care visits: 716,000 (2004)8
Hospitalizations: 107,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 305 deaths (2010)10

Prescriptions: 2. 1 million (2004)8

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Prevalence: 15.3 million people (1998)12
Ambulatory care visits: 1.6 million (2009)6
Hospitalizations: 280,000 (2010)5

Mortality: 21 deaths (2010)10
Prescriptions: 5.9 million (2004)8

Liver Disease

Prevalence: 3.0 million people (2011)18
Ambulatory care visits: 635,000 (2009)6 (cirrhosis only)

Procedures: 6,342 (2011)19 (liver transplants)

Hospitalizations: 1.2 million (2010)5

Mortality: 42,923 deaths (2010)10
Prescriptions: 731,000 (2004)8

Pancreatitis

Prevalence: 1.1 million people (1998)12
Incidence: Acute: 17 cases per 100,000 people (2003)20; chronic: 8. 2 cases per 100,000 people (1981)21

Ambulatory care visits: 881,000 (2004)8
Hospitalizations: 553,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 3,413 deaths (2010)10
Prescriptions: 766,000 (2004)8

Peptic Ulcer Disease

Prevalence: 15.5 million people (2011)18

Ambulatory care visits: 669,000 (2006–2007)14
Hospitalizations: 358,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 2,981 deaths (2011)16

Prescriptions: 5 million (2004)8

Viral Hepatitis

Hepatitis A

Prevalence of chronic infection: None (2007)22
Incidence: 1,670 new acute clinical cases (2010)22
Ambulatory care visits: Infrequent (2004)8
Hospitalizations: 10,000 (2004)8
Mortality: 29 deaths (2010)10

Hepatitis B

Prevalence of chronic infection: 800,000 to 1. 4 million people (2007)22

Incidence: 3,350 new acute clinical cases (2010)22

Ambulatory care visits: 729,000 (2004)8

Hospitalizations: 61,000 (2010)5

Mortality: 588 deaths (2010)10

Hepatitis C

Prevalence of chronic infection: 2.7 to 3.9 million people (2007)22

Incidence: 850 new acute clinical cases (2010)22
Ambulatory care visits: 1.2 million (2009)6
Hospitalizations: 419,000 (2010)5
Mortality: 6,844 deaths (2010)10

Sources

  1. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Opportunities and Challenges in Digestive Diseases Research: Recommendations of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2009. NIH Publication 08–6514.
  2. National ambulatory medical care survey: 2010 summary tables. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd. Updated March 29, 2012. Accessed May 2, 2013.
  3. National ambulatory medical care survey: 2010 emergency department summary tables. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd. Updated March 29, 2012. Accessed May 2, 2013.
  4. National ambulatory medical care survey: 2010 outpatient department summary tables. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd. Updated March 29, 2012. Accessed May 2, 2013.
  5. CDC/NCHS national hospital discharge survey: United States, 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhds. (PDF, 1,506 KB) * Accessed May 2, 2013.
  6. Peery AF, Dellon ES, Lund J, et al. Burden of gastrointestinal disease in the United States: 2012 update. Gastroenterology. 2012;143:1179–1187.
  7. Hall MJ, DeFrances CJ, Williams SN, Golosinskiy A, Schwartzman A. National hospital discharge survey: 2007 summary. National Health Statistics Reports. 2010;29:1–20.
  8. Everhart JE, ed. The Burden of Digestive Diseases in the United States. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2008. NIH Publication 09–6433.
  9. Cullen KA, Hall MJ, Golosinskiy A. Ambulatory surgery in the United States, 2006. National Health Statistics Reports. 2009;11:1–25.
  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying cause of death, detailed mortality, 2010, sorted by diseases of the digestive system (K00–K92). CDC WONDER online database. wonder.cdc.gov/. Updated April 19, 2013. Accessed May 2, 2013.
  11. Higgins PD, Johanson JF. Epidemiology of constipation in North America: a systematic review. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2004;99:750–759.
  12. Sandler RS, Everhart JE, Donowitz M, et al. The burden of selected digestive diseases in the United States. Gastroenterology. 2002;122:1500–1511.
  13. Shaffer EA. Epidemiology of gallbladder stone disease. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology. 2006;20(6):981–996.
  14. Schappert SM, Rechtsteiner EA. Ambulatory medical care utilization estimates for 2007. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 13: Data on Health Resources Utilization. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data. (PDF, 757 KB) * Published April 2011. Accessed May 2, 2013.
  15. El-Serag HB, Petersen NJ, Carter J, et al. Gastroesophageal reflux among different racial groups in the United States. Gastroenterology. 2004;126:1692–1699.
  16. Hoyert DL, Xu J. Deaths: preliminary data for 2011. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2012;61(6)1–96.
  17. Baker H. Hemorrhoids. In: Longe JL, ed. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale; 2006: 1766–1769.
  18. Schiller JS, Lucas JW, Peregoy JA. Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: national health interview survey, 2011. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 10: Data from the National Health Interview Survey. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/. (PDF, 3,192 KB) * Published December 2012. Accessed May 2, 2013.
  19. Transplants in the U.S. by recipient gender. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network website. http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/. Updated August 24, 2012. Accessed August 30, 2012.
  20. Brown A, Young B, Morton J, Behrns K, Shaheen N. Are health related outcomes in acute pancreatitis improving? An analysis of national trends in the U.S. from 1997 to 2003. JOP: Journal of the Pancreas. 2008;9(4):408–414.
  21. Gupta V, Toskes P. Diagnosis and management of chronic pancreatitis. Postgraduate Medicine Journal. 2005;81:491–497.
  22. Viral hepatitis surveillance—United States, 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/Statistics. Updated August 20, 2012. Accessed May 2, 2013.

Clinical Trials

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conduct and support research into many diseases and conditions.

What are clinical trials, and are they right for you?

Clinical trials are part of clinical research and at the heart of all medical advances. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. Researchers also use clinical trials to look at other aspects of care, such as improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses. Find out if clinical trials are right for you.

What clinical trials are open?

Clinical trials that are currently open and are recruiting can be viewed at www.ClinicalTrials.gov.

This information may contain content about medications and, when taken as prescribed, the conditions they treat. When prepared, this content included the most current information available. For updates or for questions about any medications, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration toll-free at 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) or visit www.fda.gov. Consult your health care provider for more information.

Gas in the Digestive Tract



View or Print All Sections

A gas is a substance that has no fixed size or shape. The gas inside your digestive tract is made of air and other gases. Gas typically leaves your digestive tract through your mouth when you belch or through your anus when you pass gas.


Common symptoms related to gas in the digestive tract include belching, bloating and distention, and passing gas. Gas normally enters your digestive tract when you swallow air and when bacteria in your large intestine break down certain undigested carbohydrates.

Doctors may diagnose the causes of gas with a medical history and physical exam. Doctors may order medical tests if they suspect that certain health conditions may be causing an increase in gas or gas symptoms.


To reduce or prevent excess gas or gas symptoms, your doctor may recommend swallowing less air, changing your eating and drinking habits or diet, or taking medicines or supplements. The medicines or supplements your doctor recommends will depend on your symptoms and health conditions.

If you have problems with gas symptoms, your doctor may recommend changing your eating and drinking habits, changing your diet, or following a special diet to help treat certain health conditions. Talk with your doctor or dietitian about a healthy eating plan that may help with gas symptoms.


The NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and conditions, including digestive diseases. The trials look to find new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease and improve quality of life.


Related Conditions & Diseases

  • Acid Reflux (GER and GERD) in Adults
  • Celiac Disease
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Lactose Intolerance

The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract—also called the digestive tract—and the liver, pancreas, and the gallbladder. The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus.

Additional Languages

This content is also available in:

  • Spanish

Related Research

See more about digestive diseases research at NIDDK.





 


Next:
Definition & Facts




This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by the NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

The NIDDK would like to thank:
Brian E. Lacy, Ph.D., M.D., Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida

Eating disorders | Tervisliku toitumise informatsioon

Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses that damage a person’s physical and mental health and impair their overall quality of life – relationships, work and personal development suffer.

Eating disorders disrupt the connection with one’s own body, resulting in highly problematic eating behavior. Weight and body shape are overemphasized, underweight is idealized, and various methods are used to lose weight or prevent weight gain.

Approximately 8% of women and 2% of men will develop an eating disorder during their lifetime. Eating disorders occur in any population, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. However, they are most common in girls and young women.

Eating disorders are a group of diseases that are distributed differently in different classifications. The most common eating disorders are anorexia ( anorexia nervosa ), bulimia ( bulimia nervosa ) and compulsive overeating ( binge-eating disorder ).

The term “eating disorder” is often erroneously used as a synonym for selective eating disorder, as both are associated with eating disorders. However, the reasons for them are different: an eating disorder is caused by a desire to control weight, while in a selective eating disorder, eating certain foods causes anxiety or fear.

Other eating disorders

Anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders are the three most common and well-known eating disorders. However, often not all of the symptoms of a person with an eating disorder correspond to one specific disorder. In such cases, these disorders are referred to as “atypical” or “other eating disorders”. A common myth is that in such cases the course of the disease is milder and treatment is treated more lightly. However, this is erroneous, since the name of the disease indicates only its diagnostic criteria, and not the severity or course.

All eating disorders, no matter how they are called or classified, are dangerous conditions that impair quality of life and require treatment.

Causes of Eating Disorders

There is never one single cause of an eating disorder. These are complex diseases, in the development of which a combination of many factors plays an important role. Genetic, biological and environmental factors always play a role. Modern social representations, including the culture of diets and the cult of slimness, contribute to the development of psychological vulnerability, which can become a fertile environment for the formation of eating disorders. Probably for the same reasons, a higher incidence of eating disorders is observed in sports in which weight is of great importance, and among representatives of professions focused on appearance. However, it should be emphasized that browsing social networks or playing a certain sport does not contribute to the development of the disease. There are many factors involved in the development of the disease that are usually beyond the control of the individual. However, it is often more practical and even more important to identify the factors that support the disease, since changing them is associated with better treatment outcomes.

Treatment Options for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders can be life-threatening illnesses with a long and chronic course; they have one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric illness. Treating eating disorders is often a lengthy and complex process. However, early intervention is paramount to achieve a good treatment outcome.
Diagnosis and treatment of an eating disorder usually begins with the family physician. Family sisters can provide advice on healthy eating. Psychiatrists are specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders as a psychiatric illness. The participation of a clinical psychologist or psychotherapist is also important.

There are two centers in Estonia that specialize in the treatment of eating disorders: the Department of Eating Disorders of the Mental Health Center of the Tallinn Children’s Hospital treats children and adolescents, and the Department of Eating Disorders of the Psychiatric Clinic of the Tartu University Hospital treats adolescents and adults.

For more information about eating disorders and advice on what to do if you suspect a loved one has an eating disorder, visit peaasi.ee.

Get a consultation about gastrointestinal diseases in children in Moscow

Get a consultation from a pediatrician

Service in two languages: Russian, English.
Leave your phone number and we will call you back.

Contents

IMPORTANT!

The information in this section should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, only the attending physician should prescribe diagnostic tests. For diagnosis and proper treatment, you should contact your doctor.

The article was checked by a pediatric endocrinologist Yamchenko A.Yu. is for general informational purposes and does not replace specialist advice.
Consultation with a physician is required for advice on diagnosis and treatment.

Problems in the gastrointestinal tract are among the most common in children: according to statistics, on average, every seventh child suffers from one or another disorder in the work of the stomach and intestines.

Timely detection and treatment of these diseases is very important, since the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract detected in childhood can be treated well. Specialists of the pediatric department of the Clinical Hospital on Yauza pay great attention to the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases, using the most modern methods, as well as advanced treatment technologies.

Features of the course of gastrointestinal diseases in children

Doctors note that a significant part of gastrointestinal diseases in children are functional disorders, that is, they do not have any organic causes. In this case, the functioning of the body is really disrupted.

As a rule, functional disorders are associated with a disruption in the functioning of regulatory mechanisms: nervous or humoral. For example, this happens during stress (it is known that when children worry, their stomach hurts), with secondary vegetative dystonia, etc. The Committee for the Study of Functional Disorders in Children and the International Working Group on the Development of Criteria for Functional Disorders created classification of functional disorders in children, in which the main criterion is the predominant symptom:

  • disorders manifested by vomiting
  • Abdominal pain disorders: functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, functional abdominal pain, abdominal migraine and aerophagia
  • stool disorders: childhood dyschezia (painful defecation), functional constipation, functional stool retention, functional encopresis (fecal incontinence)

The main types of gastrointestinal diseases in children

The most common disorders of the gastrointestinal tract in children include the following:

Disorders of the stool (diarrhea – constipation). There can be many reasons for such a disorder: food poisoning, infectious diseases, worms, enzyme deficiency, food allergies, inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. An infant reacts with stool disorders to almost any external discomfort: a change in nutrition, teething, infectious diseases, climate change.

Gastritis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa. In acute gastritis, the child complains of severe pain, he begins to vomit, upset the stool, and belch. In chronic gastritis, appetite is reduced, the child complains of moderate pain, moments of intoxication are noted. Gastritis in children can develop independently, as a primary disease, and also be the result of past infections.

Gastroenteritis is an inflammatory disease of the mucous membrane of the small intestine and stomach. Most often, the development of gastroenteritis is associated with the action of various viruses (rotavirus), as well as with dysbacteriosis. The disease is characterized by pain, flatulence, vomiting, diarrhea, the presence of blood in the feces. In the course of treatment, the child is restricted in nutrition, the water balance is restored, and antiviral drugs are given.

Peptic ulcer is a chronic disease in which ulcers form in the stomach and duodenum. The disease proceeds with periods of exacerbations and remissions. In children, duodenal ulcer is more common. Its cause is the Helicobacter pillory bacterium, and factors such as heredity, psycho-emotional background, allergic diseases contribute to the development of an ulcer. Peptic ulcer disease is characterized by severe pain and indigestion, it is advisable to treat the disease in a hospital.

Chronic cholecystitis is an inflammatory disease of the gallbladder that leads to impaired circulation of bile. Patients complain of paroxysmal pain, which may be associated with fatty foods or physical activity. In older children, pain may be localized in an atypical area, for example, in the region of the sternum. Also, with this disease, biliary dyskinesia is observed.

Biliary dyskinesia is a change in the tone and motility of the biliary tract, which leads to malfunctions in the flow of bile into the duodenum. Unfortunately, such pathologies occur in about 90% of children who suffer from gastrointestinal disorders. This disorder is based on a disorder in the regulation of the processes of contraction and relaxation of the gallbladder and sphincters.

Chronic pancreatitis – inflammation of the tissues and ducts of the pancreas. Children complain of acute pain in the epigastrium, they develop dyspeptic disorders, their body temperature rises. The development of pancreatitis can be facilitated by malnutrition, an incorrect diet (large intervals between meals), the use of a number of drugs, and congenital features of the gastrointestinal tract.

Diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the pediatric department of the Clinical Hospital on Yauza

The list of diagnostic measures includes the following:

  • blood test: general and biochemical, as well as hepatitis markers
  • analysis of urine and feces, general
  • stool test for worm eggs
  • scrapings
  • tomography
  • ultrasound
  • X-ray if required

Depending on the established diagnosis and the identified causes of the disease, the doctors of the Yauza Clinical Hospital prescribe treatment.