Open AccessHospitalization of the Elderly in the United States for Nonspecific Gastrointestinal Diseases: A Search for Etiological Clues
Author(s) -
Kenneth Chui,
Jyotsna S. Jagai,
Jeffrey K. Griffiths,
Ele. Naumova
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2010.300096
Subject(s) - etiology , medicine , medline , environmental health , family medicine , gerontology , psychiatry , political science , law
The frequency of hospitalization among the elderly in the United States caused by gastrointestinal diseases between 1991 and 2004 increased dramatically, especially hospitalization of elderly individuals with nonspecific diagnoses. We analyzed 6 640 304 gastrointestinal disease-associated hospitalization records in this 14-year period by comparing the peak times of nonspecific gastrointestinal diseases with those of specific diseases. We found that most nonspecific gastrointestinal diseases peak concurrently with viral enteritis, suggesting a lack of diagnostic testing for viruses, which may adversely affect the efficiency of prevention, surveillance, and treatment efforts.