Statistics on Digestive Disorders

All Digestive Diseases

Prevalence: 60 to 70 million people affected by all digestive diseases (1996)
Mortality: 234,000 deaths, including deaths from cancer (2002)
Hospitalizations: 14 million—9 percent (2002)
Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures: 6 million—14 percent of all of all in-patient hospitalization procedures (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 45 million (1999–2000)
Disability: 1.9 million people (1990–1992)
Costs: $107,000 billion (1992)
$85.5 billion direct medical costs (1998)
$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 (1996)
Mortality: 1,143 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 322,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 3.3 million (1999–2000)
Prescriptions: 184,000 (1989–1990)
Disability: 467,000 people (1990–1992)

Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
Prevalence: 400,000 people (1976–1980)
Mortality: 27,257 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 421,000 (2002)
Physician office visits: 1 million (1985)
Disability: 130,000 people (1990–1992)

Constipation
Prevalence: 3.1 million people (1996)
Mortality: 121 deaths (2002) [
Hospitalizations: 398,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 1.4 million (1999–2000)
Prescriptions: 1 million (1985)
Disability: 30,000 people (1990–1992)

Diverticular Disease
Incidence: 300,000 new cases (1987)
Prevalence: 2.5 million people (1996)
Mortality: 3,324 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 576,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 1.2 million (1990–2004)
Disability: 86,000 people (1990–1992)

Gallstones
Prevalence: 20.5 million people (1988–1994)
Mortality: 1,077 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 636,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 1.8 million (1999–2000)
Prescriptions: 195,000 (1985)
Surgical procedures: 500,000 cholecystectomies (1987)
Disability: 117,000 people (1990–1992)

Gastritis and Nonulcer Dyspepsia (NUD)
Incidence:
Gastritis: 313,000 new cases (1975)
Chronic NUD: 444,000 new cases (1975)
Acute NUD: 8.0 million new cases (1996)

Prevalence:
Gastritis: 3.7 million people (1996)
NUD: 6.4 million people (1996)

Mortality:
Gastritis: 357 deaths (2002)
NUD: 5 deaths (2002)

Hospitalizations:
Gastritis: 549,000 (2002)
NUD: 79,000 (2002)

Ambulatory care visits:
Gastritis: 2.9 million (1999–2000)
NUD: 800,000 (1980s)

Prescriptions:
Gastritis: 2 million (1985)
NUD: 649,000 (1985)

Disability:
Gastritis: 30,000 people (1990–1992)
Chronic NUD: 71,000 people (1990–1992)

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Related Esophageal Disorders
Prevalence: Reflux symptoms at least weekly: 20 percent of the U.S. population (1990)
Mortality: 1,707 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 710,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 709,000 (1990–1992)
Disability: 45,000 people (1990–1992)

Hemorrhoids (1983–1987)
Incidence: 1 million new cases
Prevalence: 8.5 million people (1996)
Mortality: 18 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 168,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 1.9 million (1999–2000)
Prescriptions: 1.5 million (1983–1987)
Disability: 38,000 people (1990–1992)

Infectious Diarrhea
Incidence: 16 million new cases (1996)
Mortality: 2,481 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 375,000 to 777,000 (2002)
Physician office visits: 8 to 12 million (1985)
Prescriptions: 5 to 8 million (1985)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Incidence:
Ulcerative colitis: 8 new cases per 100,000 people per year (1984–1993)
Crohn’s disease: 7 new cases per 100,000 people per year (1984–1993)

Prevalence:
Ulcerative colitis: 246 cases per 100,000 people per year (2001)
Crohn’s disease: 162 cases per 100,000 people per year (2001)

Mortality: 825 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 169,000—with 62 percent for Crohn's disease (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 5.9 million per year (1999–2000)
Disability: 161,000 people (1990–1992)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Prevalence: 2.1 million people (1996)
Mortality: 22 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 119,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 1.3 million per year (1999–2000)
Prescriptions: 2.2 million (1985)
Disability: 46,000 people (1990–1992)

Lactose Intolerance
Prevalence: 30 to 50 million people (1994)

Pancreatitis
Incidence:
Acute: 17 new cases per 100,000 people (1976–1988)
Mortality: 3,532 total deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations:
Acute: 333,000 (2002)
Chronic: 86,000 (2002)
Physician office visits:
Acute: 911,000 (1987)
Chronic: 122,000 (1987)

Peptic Ulcer
Prevalence: 14.5 million people (2003)
Mortality: 4,079 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 403,000 (2002)
Ambulatory care visits: 876,000 million (1999–2000)
Prescriptions: 2 million (1985)
Disability: 328,000 people (1990–1992)

Viral Hepatitis
Incidence:
Hepatitis A: 32,000 new cases (1992)
Hepatitis B: 335,000 new cases (1988–1994)
Hepatitis C: 150,000 new cases (1991)
Hepatitis D: 70,000 new cases (1990)

Prevalence:
Hepatitis A: 31 percent of U.S. population (1988–1994)
Hepatitis B: 5 percent of U.S. population (1988–1994)
Hepatitis C: 1.8 percent of the U.S. population (1988–1994)
Hepatitis D: Not determined

Mortality: 5,793 deaths (2002)
Hospitalizations: 353,000 (2002)
Physician office visits: 500,000 (1985)

Additional Data
Liver Transplants: 5,364 transplants performed (2003)
Number of gastroenterologists in the United States: 11,704 (2003)