title: Gastrointestinal symptoms in a Japanese population: a health diary study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms and the nature of consequent utilization of health care services in a Japanese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using self-report, we conducted a prospective cohort study of a nationally representative sample of the Japanese population over a one-month period to determine the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms of all kinds and resultant health care utilization. Both information on visits to physicians and use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From a total of 3568 in the recruitment sample, 3477 participants completed a health diary (response rate 97%). The data of 112 participants with baseline active gastrointestinal diseases were excluded from the analysis, leaving 3365 participants in the study. The incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms was 25% and the mean number of symptomatic episodes was 0.66 in a month. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, constipation and dyspepsia were the most frequent symptoms. Female gender, younger age, and low baseline quality of life were risk factors for developing these symptoms. The participants were more likely to treat themselves, using dietary, complementary or alternative medicines, than to visit physicians, except in the case of vomiting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in the Japanese population, with an incidence of 25%. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, constipation and dyspepsia are the most frequent symptoms. Risk factors for developing these symptoms include female gender, younger age, and low baseline quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Practice Evaluation and Research Center, St. Luke's Life Science Institute, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo 104-8560, Japan. tokuyasu@orange.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Yasuharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohde
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shakudo
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yanai
authors.forename: Takuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimbo
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuhara
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hinohara
authors.forename: Tsuguya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukui
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis