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 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.
Previous page < Sources < Page 1, 2, 3, 4
Back to Digestive Basics Index
Information taken from the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
2 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3570
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
