Trends of Gastrointestinal Diseases at a Single Institution in Korea over the Past Two Decades.
OBJECTIVE
The lifestyle changes that have accompanied economic growth have influenced disease patterns in Korea. Changing patterns of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases over the past two decades were investigated in the present study.


METHODS
Data from inpatients with specific GI diseases, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases code, were extracted from the database at a tertiary medical facility for 1990, 1996, and 2006.


RESULTS
Admission rates for GI diseases increased between 1990 and 2006. The most prevalent disease in 1990 was gastric cancer, followed by appendicitis and colorectal cancer. However, by 2006, gastric cancer, colon cancer, and colon adenoma or polyps had become the most prevalent diseases. Although gastric cancer showed a decreasing trend, the rate of colon cancer doubled over two decades. Furthermore, rates of detection and endoscopic treatment of early gastric cancer and adenoma of the stomach and colon have increased noticeably. Newly emerging diseases include inflammatory bowel disease and gastroesophageal reflux. There was no change in the incidence of peptic ulcer, but ulcer-related complications and the numbers treated surgically decreased.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study indicate that the clinical trends of GI diseases in Korea have changed in a similar way to those in the West. Early detection of a GI neoplasm will continue to increase with the establishment of cancer-screening programs, resulting in a rising need for minimally invasive treatments.
Kwon
Jung Hyun
JH
Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Choi
Myung-Gyu
MG
Lee
Sung Won
SW
Shu
Xian Xiang
XX
Bae
Si Hyun
SH
Choi
Jong Young
JY
Yoon
Seung Kew
SK
Cho
Yu Kyung
YK
Park
Jae Myung
JM
Lee
In Seok
IS
Kim
Sang Woo
SW
Chung
In-Sik
IS