Burden of Digestive Diseases in the United States Population: Rates and Trends

Digestive diseases are common in the United States and lead to significant morbidity, mortality, and health care utilization. We used national survey and claims databases to expand on earlier findings and investigate rates and trends in the digestive disease burden in the United States. The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, National Inpatient Sample, Vital Statistics of the United States: Multiple Cause-of-Death Data, Optum Clinformatics Data Mart, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare 5% Sample and Medicaid files were used to estimate claims-based prevalence, medical care, and mortality with a digestive disease diagnosis. Digestive disease prevalence (claims-based, 2019) was 24.2% among Medicaid beneficiaries, 33.2% among private insurance enrollees, and 51.5% among Medicare beneficiaries and rose over the previous decade. Digestive diseases contributed to 42 million emergency department visits, 17 million hospital stays, and 472,000 deaths in 2019. Women had higher medical care rates with a digestive disease diagnosis, but mortality rates were higher among men. Blacks had higher medical care use and mortality rates compared with Whites, and Hispanics had lower rates. During the study period, ambulatory care and emergency department visit rates with a digestive disease diagnosis rose, while hospitalization and mortality rates declined. Among private insurance enrollees, rates were higher compared with national data for hospitalizations, but lower for emergency department visits. The digestive disease burden in the United States is substantial, particularly among Blacks and older adults. Further research is needed to better understand reasons for disparities and trends in health care use and mortality reported in this paper.