Gastrointestinal Disease Tied to High Physical, Financial Burden
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, April 18, 2025 -- Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are responsible for a considerable and growing burden of health care use and costs within the United States, according to a study recently published online in Gastroenterology.
Anne F. Peery, M.D., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues estimated the burden and costs associated with GI diseases in the United States.
The researchers found that in 2021, GI health care expenditures totaled $111.8 billion. An estimated 14.5 million emergency department visits and 2.9 million hospital admissions resulted from a GI diagnosis or symptom. One in six U.S. adults reported having one or more frequent GI symptoms in the past three months. Diagnoses of 315,065 new GI cancers were made, and GI diseases caused 281,413 deaths. An estimated 23.5 million GI endoscopies were performed in 2022. The National Institutes of Health supported $3.6 billion for GI research in 2023, representing 7.4 percent of its budget.
"Our report captures the remarkable and changing burden of GI diseases in the United States," the authors write. "There is an ongoing need to support GI sciences, which offers the promise of preventing or treating these highly prevalent and morbid conditions. There is also clearly an extraordinary demand for specialized teams that practice GI medicine and provide the daily support and care for patients with GI diseases."
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Bariatric Surgery Linked to Improved IBD Outcomes in Patients With Obesity
THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2025 -- For patients with inflammatory bowel disease and obesity, bariatric surgery is associated with improved inflammatory bowel disease-related outcomes...
Reciprocal Relationships Identified Between Gut Bacteria and Insomnia
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 13, 2025 -- There appear to be reciprocal links between certain gut bacteria and insomnia risk, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in General...
Prevalence of Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction Increased After Pandemic
TUESDAY, Aug. 5, 2025 -- The prevalence of disorders of the gut-brain interaction (DGBI) increased from before to after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.