title: Epidemiology and clinical experience of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction in Japan: a nationwide epidemiologic survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We estimated the prevalence and incidence of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) in Japan, investigated the patterns of hospital visits among those with CIPO, and examined present knowledge of CIPO among medical professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered questionnaire survey was distributed to targeted hospitals throughout Japan, which were selected using stratified random sampling. The questionnaire asked about the number of patients receiving treatment for CIPO, the frequency of their hospital visits, and overall clinical knowledge of CIPO among medical professionals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CIPO prevalence was estimated to be 1.00 and 0.80 cases per 100 000 males and females, respectively. Incidence was 0.21 and 0.24 cases per 100 000 males and females, respectively. Prevalence and incidence did not significantly differ males and females. Mean age of patients was 63.1 years for males and 59.2 for females. Accurate diagnosis of CIPO sometimes required more than 3 months after initial presentation. Most medical professionals were unaware of or poorly understood CIPO.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We estimated the prevalence and incidence of CIPO in Japan, using data from a nationwide survey. The findings suggest that knowledge of CIPO should be further disseminated so that the disease is not overlooked and is diagnosed without delay.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inamori
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007418:Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires