Burden of Digestive Diseases in the United States

摘要

Digestive diseases include a wide spectrum of disorders affecting the oropharynx and alimentary canal, liver and biliary system, and pancreas. These disorders have diverse causes, including congenital and genetic anomalies, acute and chronic infections, cancer, adverse effects of drugs and toxins, and, in many cases, unknown causes. Some conditions, such as foodborne diarrheal diseases, are so common as to be considered a universal life experience, while many others are relatively uncommon or rare. The impact of these diseases ranges from the inconvenience of a transient diarrheal disease causing missed time from school or work, to chronic and debilitating illnesses requiring continuous medical care, or, all too frequently, to dreaded conditions such as pancreatic cancer that are usually fatal. Close examination of this report will reveal many interesting and provocative pieces of statistical information about trends in various digestive diseases. As outlined in the report, for any specific disease condition, there are numerous limitations on the types of data that can be obtained in the diverse and decentralized U.S. health care system. Despite the many limitations of the statistical information, there are several certainties.